Infused with the nutty flavors of almonds and the rich, crumbly texture of cornmeal, these Italian Almond Cornmeal Cookies provide a delightful twist on the traditional cornmeal cookie. Perfect for those who appreciate a less sweet but deeply flavorful treat, this recipe brings a piece of Italian culinary tradition into your kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Whenever we host our Northern Italy boutique group trip, one of the most popular activities is wine tasting in Franciacorta.
And, yes, of course, a big part of that is because we sip some of the best bubbles in Italy at some of the (in our opinion) most stunning wineries in the area. But another reason? It’s also the day we introduce our guests to the traditional local cookie known as sbrisolona (pronounced sbreeze-ah-loh-nah, by the way).
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make torta sbrisolona cornmeal cookie:
- 1 1/4 cup 00 flour (can substitute all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour)
- 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into large dice (can use half lard, half butter)
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 1/2 cups whole raw almonds
- 2 large eggs, beaten until smooth
- Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
- Zest from 1/2 medium lemon
How to Make This Cornmeal Cookie Recipe
Begin making the cornmeal cookie by preparing your pan and heating the oven. Combine your flours and cut in the butter to achieve a pea-sized crumb texture. Incorporate the vanilla bean seeds, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs, ensuring not to overmix to preserve the crumbly texture.
Form the dough in the springform pan using a rain-like motion to ensure it is loosely packed, then sprinkle with almonds and extra sugar before baking to golden perfection.
What Is Torta Sbrisolona?
The torta sbrisolona, as it’s traditionally called, is a historic sweet from the northern Italian region of Lombardy and, even more precisely, from the town of Mantova. Like so many classic Italian recipes, this one has modest origins. The original recipe was believed to be made in the hillsides outside of Mantova, almost exclusively with cornmeal and lard.
Over the years, the sbrisolona recipe has evolved and come to reflect the famously “rich” taste of the Mantovans (both in terms of pricey ingredients and heavier ingredients). Some recipes even say to call for once hard-to-find and pricey ingredients like saffron or cinnamon.
It must be said the name torta in torta sbrisolona seems to imply you’re making a cake, but it’s more like a hybrid of a shortbread and a streusel. The key is the combo of the ingredients and the technique. Known as sbrisolare in Italian, you drop dough nuggets from above and have it “rain” into the baking pan.
Once you’ve made it, you’ll have mastered the technique, and then all you have to worry about is keeping it around long enough because it’s delicious!
More Traditional Italian Cookie Recipes
Here are even more traditional Italian cookie recipes for you to try your hand at baking:
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{Torta Sbrisolona} Italian Almond Cornmeal Cookie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup 00 flour (can substitute all purpose flour or gluten free flour)
- 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter cut into large dice (you can also use a mix of half lard and half butter)
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus additional for sprinkling on top
- 1 1/2 cups whole raw almonds
- 2 large eggs beaten until smooth
- 1 vanilla bean halved and seeds scraped using the back of a knife
- Zest from 1/2 medium lemon
Instructions
- Prepare The Pan: Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the upper third and one in the lower third of the oven. Set a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack. Meanwhile, butter the inside of a 12-inch springform pan.
- Make The Sbrisolona Dough: Combine the flour, cornmeal, almond flour in a large bowl and whisk it together until it evenly incorporates. Add the butter and, with clean, dry hands, rub the butter between thumb and forefingers to incorporate into flour mixture until butter is in lima bean-sized pieces and rub into flour mixture until mixture forms pea-size pieces (some big chunks should remain) and comes together in fist-sized clumps when squeezed, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and the sugar and mix it again until those ingredients are evenly incorporated. Drizzle the beaten eggs on the dough then mix one last time until just combined (the mixture should be in pea-sized chunks).
- Form The Sbrisolona Cookie: Starting with half the dough and the buttered springform pan, take a handful at a time and lightly rub it between your palms at a distance of about 6 inches above the pan, letting the dough "rain down" into the pan. Mix the whole almonds into the remaining half of the dough then repeat the earlier technique until all the dough is in the pan. Take one additional spoonful of sugar and sprinkle it across the top of the pan.
- Bake The Cookie: Bake the mixture until it is set and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the springform then serve it. Do not try to cut this as it will just crumble. Instead, go with the traditional technique and break it up into chunks (like you would with a brittle) and serve it on its own or with a glass of sweet dessert wine.
