Masa Harina Cookies

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“La Negra Tomasa” by Los Caifanes is the perfect song to get us started with this recipe. It takes me back to road trips I would take with my Nino, Yaya, and cousin to Mexicali. It’s my earlies memory of tasting fresh made corn tortillas from one of the puestesitos. My goodness, I can still taste that tortilla de harina que acompañaba unos frijolitos refritos and some huevos con chorizo. I know it is nothing luxurious, but is that not how some memories are sometimes made? A taste can transport you like a time machine and take you back to that time and place. For most who grew up in a Mexican home, masa was in one form or another present in our everyday meals.

Since moving to this small town, my husband and I missed la comida que con mas facilidad podíamos conseguir. We came across Masienda when we were looking for alternatives and fell in love with their procucts. From their book Masa, we learned how to make these masa harina cookies for our family. According to my husband, they taste como un tamal dulce. We adjusted a few ingredients to make it our own. I wanted to add the masa harina cookies to our collection, because besides them being delicious, I feel that they marry the old and the new traditions. On that note, nos depedimos con “El Baile Y El Salón” by Cafe Tacvba.

How do you make masa harina cookies?

You start by mixing the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. If using a stand mixer, cream the butter then adding the sugars. Since I used masa that I nixtamalized at home, I added it to the stand mixer after the sugars. If you are using dry masa harina you can add it to the medium bowl with the other dry ingredients. Add the eggs and vanilla until it’s mixed well, then slowly adding the dry ingredients. I did use the shopped macadamia nuts but added cajeta instead of the white chocolate the original recipe called for. I placed the cookies in the refrigerator for an hour after shaping them, I feel this step helped in keeping them together in the baking process. Sprinkle some coarse salt, this totally elevates the taste. Bake for 12 minutes, let it rest for about 5 minutes bore enjoying them.

What makes masa harina?

Invented by the Aztecs, masa harina is made from maize that was cooked in lime water through a process called Nixtamalization that takes between 8-12 hours to complete. You then rinse off the desired amount of the softened skins. Removing too much can make it difficult to make pliable tortillas. After this process is done, you grind it finely to make (but not limited to) tortillas or grind it a bit more coarsely to make meals like tamales. The aroma and the taste of the final product are some of the factors that sets masa harina apart from any corn that has not gone through this process.

Can I use corn flour as a substitute?

I would not recommend it because it will greatly affect the taste of the finish product. Masa that has been nixtamalized has a particular taste that is very difficult to replicate.

How to make masa harina cookies?

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup masa harina
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• coarse salt for topping
• cajeta
  
  Instructions:
• Make the Dough:
  Combine flour, masa harina, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• In the stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until well incorporated.
• Add one egg at a time while mixing, then add vanilla.
• Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.
• Fold in macadamias.
• Scoop cookie dough and make an indentation, fill with about 1 tsp of cajeta. cover back up with the cookie dough.
• Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bake:
  Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Place cookie dough balls into a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Leaving 4 inches of space between them. Top with coarse salt.
• Bake for 12 minutes
• Allow the cookies cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

These masa harina cookies will definitely be a crowd pleaser. Even the old timers will recognize that familiar masa taste. Provecho!