Fancy Navajo Blue Corn Cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day Week friends! Today I’ll be sharing my recipe for Fancy Navajo Blue Corn Cookies. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out. The pretty blue color is sure to make anyone smile. It’s a basic recipe that tastes just like Navajo blue corn mush and even includes juniper ash. If you are feeling super fancy you can add in colorful sprinkles for a funfetti twist or add in piñons to make them more sophisticated.

Fancy cookies for tiny Fancy Navajos…

This recipe has been sitting on the back burner for a while and it first made its debut at my Fancy Navajo Coffee meetup in Albuquerque, NM here. My guests got a sneak peak of the recipe and I asked for their critiques.  It wasn’t until recently I was asked to share my recipe by Navajo owned company, Orenda Tribe, who was making Valentines’ Day gift bags for a school on the Navajo Nation. Of course, I had to help and shared this Fancy Navajo Kid approved cookie recipe!

If you watched my Instagram stories last week, you saw how the tiny Fancy Navajo’s happily enjoyed their Fancy Blue Corn Cookies. It melted my heart to see them so happy. So, I encourage you to make these with your family. This recipe can be rolled out and cut into shapes. Or you can scoop out the cookie dough and flatten them with your fingers.

Before we begin…

Just a few notes, this recipe does call for cold butter rather than room temperature butter. I use a stand mixer which creams the cold butter with ease. However, if you are making these by hand, I would suggest using room temperature butter. Unless you want to get your work out for the day. Either way the cookie dough should come out perfect.

The recipe also includes juniper ash, which is an optional ingredient. I wanted these cookies to taste like Navajo blue corn mush which is boiled blue corn meal with juniper ash. If you haven’t had it before, it’s like a bowl of grits but with a finer texture. It’s delicious!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you make them please send me a picture on social media and make sure to tag @TheFancyNavajo.

***All of my content is for personal use only and should not be used for commercial purposes. Companies and organizations please email TheFancyNavajo@gmail.com for permission to use my content for cultural demonstrations and/or workshops. If you do share my content, please credit TheFancyNavajo.com. ***

Fancy Navajo Blue Corn Cookies

Yields: 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Cold Butter
• 1 Egg
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Juniper Ash (Optional)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1 ¼ Cup Blue Cornmeal

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick mat
3. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until pale and creamy
4. Add in vanilla and egg until thoroughly combined
5. Add in baking soda, juniper ash, and salt until thoroughly combined
6. Add in Flour and Blue Corn Meal in ¼ cup increments until combined
7. Prepare cookie dough for baking, they can be rolled out in ¼ inch thickness, or scooped and pressed down *see notes if using room temperature butter*
8. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Cookies should mostly be blue and the edges slightly brown. If the cookies are mostly brown, then they are over baked and you may need to reduce time for baking.

Optional: Add in sprinkles, piñons, or topping of your choice.

Notes: For this recipe I used COLD butter. I use a stand mixer which helps break up the cold butter easily. If doing this by hand or a hand mixer, let butter soften to room temperature. The cookies will be slightly more chewy than crisp. Keep cookie dough in the refrigerator until you are about to use. If you are rolling out the dough to make shapes and are using softened butter refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before shaping and baking. Make sure the cookie dough is cold or else the cookie will lose its shape.

***All of my content is for personal use only and should not be used for commercial purposes. Companies and organizations please email TheFancyNavajo@gmail.com for permission to use my content for cultural demonstrations and/or workshops. If you do share my content, please credit TheFancyNavajo.com. ***

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Want to learn how to make Fancy Navajo Blue Corn Cupcakes then head to this blog post: https://thefancynavajo.com/2017/02/19/fancy-blue-corn-cupcakes/