Copycat Trader Joes Corn Cookies Recipe

I made the mistake of reading Trader Joes list of new summer products and these copycat Trader Joes Corn Cookie Mix looked so tempting. I thought the kids would love them and maybe, just maybe! I could enjoy them too. But…no. They have gluten in them. But….

Don’t worry. I came up with a copycat recipe and have allergy substitutions for you too!

I think these cookies would pair well with some of Trader Joe’s delicious Organic Jalapeno Limeade.

Or a nice cold glass of Trader Joe’s Watermelon Cucumber Cooler.

WHAT DO TRADER JOES CORN COOKIES TASTE LIKE?

Child 1: Sugar cookie

Child 2: Snickerdoodle. ?????

Child 3: Sugar Cookie. Where’s the frosting and sprinkles Mom?

Me: Sugar cookie with a nice hint of corn.

So pretty much a sugar cookie. But not a sugar cookie.

YOUR RECIPE CALLS FOR CORN FLOUR AND CORN MEAL. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORN FLOUR AND CORN MEAL?

Looking at the back of the Trader Joe’s mix it calls for both corn flour and corn meal. When I opened the bag of both and looked inside I really had a hard time telling the difference. So I grabbed a scoop of each and put them on a plate.

It was interesting to see that even though they look very similar the corn meal spread and didn’t retain it’s shape as well as the corn flour. The corn flour also appeared to have a thicker consistency once out of the bag.

Corn Meal: Coarsely ground, has a more gritty texture

Corn Flour: Finely ground, has a more smooth texture

WHY DO YOU VARY IN THE AMOUNT OF CORN FLOUR THAT YOU USE IN THIS RECIPE?

Yes, if you look closely I did vary the amount of corn flour that I used in the recipe. This difference was really needed for me when I cooked with the gluten free flour. The recipe worked well with Gluten Free Cup4Cup with the less amount listed, but I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free and needed the higher amount of corn flour in order to get the cookies to spread and crack the way I wanted.

If you are using regular all purpose flour you can also add the higher amount of corn flour to give your cookies a more puffy appearance instead of the cracked top look.

PS Look at that texture and corn in each cookie!

NOTES ABOUT SOFTENED BUTTER

This is super important but when it comes to the butter, you want the butter to be softened to room temperature. You do not want the butter to be runny at all or too soft. This picture from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe illustrates perfectly on what you want your butter to look like when softened. (Hint, the cool room temp butter is the look you are going for! Hint 2: This is a GREAT illustration for showing your kids when they are learning to cook. I’ve had MANY cookies that look like the ones on the far right. Or worse).

I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE THIS AS A GIFT. CAN I GIVE JUST THE MIX TO SOMEONE WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR BAKING THEM?

Yes! Just place the dry ingredients into a mason jar and print out the instructions below to include with your gift.

Copycat Trader Joe’s Corn Cookie Recipe

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (can substitute dairy free)
• 1 egg (can use egg replacer if needed)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (can substitute gluten free flour)
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/4-1/2 cup corn flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until butter is light and fluffy. Turn off mixer, scrape bowl and put mixer on low speed. Add the egg and remaining ingredients, continuing to stir until well blended.

Drop the dough by tablespoons onto your cookie sheet, leaving several inches of space between cookies.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before moving cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Makes 24 cookies.