Throughout this project, I’ve been keeping a running list of ideas for new recipes. The source of inspiration for each idea varies – sometimes I try a dish at a restaurant with a flavor profile I’m inspired to recreate, other times I outline potential applications for a new technique or methodology that I’ve learned. This week, I wanted to circle back to a previous failed attempt at incorporating a custard-like filling into a thumbprint cookie recipe. This time, however, I was drawing on the sweet, creamy, spicy, and acidic flavors found in elote, grilled Mexican street corn. 

Elote is a great example of when more is more. The flavors and textures involved are deeply layered: sweet, juicy charred corn slathered in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a hit of ancho chile, fresh cilantro, and lime to balance everything out. While some swear by the sweet simplicity that is corn with butter and salt, I’ll take the extra-loaded elote any day. Messy and delicious. 

While it is sadly too early for corn to have reached its summer peak, elote has been on my mind. It brings to mind the feeling of sun on skin, late nights, and the smell of charcoal on the grill. New York has been teasing the idea of spring with a handful of sunny days here one day and then gone the next, replaced by gloomy skies and sub-60 temperatures. In the meantime, I wanted to make something that would provide a dose of sunshine while I wait for warmer weather. 

From an ingredients perspective, I knew I’d need to include the following to evoke elote: 

• Corn – fortunately, I’ve had some experience baking with corn. Corn flour is a great way to introduce a nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor while also bumping up the texture by increasing the density for a chewier final product. I also wanted to experiment with corn powder, made by grinding up freeze-dried corn into a fine powder. This imparts less texture and more flavor, but in a highly concentrated manner. 
• Cheesy/creamy component – elote typically uses a combination of mexican crema, mayonnaise, and cotija cheese to create its signature creamy, tangy, salty coating. From a cookie standpoint, I struggled to find an appropriate substitute that would stand up to oven temperatures without melting. I landed on mascarpone cheese as a starting point given its thicker consistency and ability to take on heat and transform into something resembling custard. Next time, I might try including a mix of crema and mascarpone to amp up the tang as mascarpone is missing some of that. 
• Chile – ancho or guajillo chile gives elote its signature spice to balance out all the salt and sweetness. I used a great spice blend from Montana Mex that includes New Mexico, Pasilla, Guajillo, and Ancho Chiles with a bit of sea salt to boot. I also think that Tajin would be a great way to incorporate chile flavor while also amplifying the amount of lime and salt. 
• Lime – the final ingredient to achieve the famous “Salt Fat Acid Heat” balance, lime is a key component for elote, mixed into the sauce and/or squeezed over the top. I used lime zest to maximize the lime-flavor and help bring some brightness to the mix. 

Overall, this recipe also was a relative success the first go around. It took some time to figure out the right amount of filling – when dealing with custard especially, there is a tendency for puffage which can easily turn into spillage. To increase the amount of filling as much as possible, I increased the cavity size in the cookie by applying a pinch-pot technique as opposed to a simple thumbprint. 

The final result was tasty: the corn cookie had a nice crumb thanks to the corn flour and after fully cooling, its density was nicely counterbalanced by the creamy filling. The ancho chile lent a sufficient kick and the corn powder added more of the corn sweetness. The cookie was a bit sweeter than expected, and unfortunately not as strongly reminiscent of elote itself due to the lack of cheese-flavor (maybe add some parm next time?), but it did feel like a bite of summer days ahead. 

savory-ness (1-5)	2 – more sweet corn than savory corn
weird or works? (complimentary flavors or a little bit weird?)	works!
savory ingredients highlights	corn + ancho chile + cilantro
best served…	with a side of sunshine
encore?	I liked these elote!

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Elote Thumbprint Cookies 

These corny cookies are a sweet-take on a savory favorite: elote, Mexican grilled street corn. Chewy corn-ancho chile cookies are filled with a sweet lime mascarpone cream and topped with a bright, herbaceous cilantro sugar. For any cilantro-haters, feel free to substitute cilantro-sugar for lime-sugar by using lime-zest instead. 

Kitchen Equipment 

• Kitchen scale – this will ensure precise measurements of ingredients and help you portion out the dough evenly so the final cookies are equal in size. 
• Stand mixer or hand-mixer – while you can definitely cream butter and sugar by hand, a stand mixer or hand mixer will make it that much faster! 
• Mortar and pestle – a great way to grind spices, create pastes, or combine ingredients without chopping. 

Ingredients 

Corn-Chile Cookies

• 1 stick butter, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (48g)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
• 1/2 cup corn flour (60g)
• 1 cup AP flour (120g)

Filling

• 1 container mascarpone cheese (224 g)
• 1 egg
• 30g powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Optional: ¼ cup finely crumbled Cotija cheese (note from author: I haven’t tried this but think it could add a nice savory twist! Try at your own risk!) 

Cilantro sugar

• Granulated sugar (50g, 1/4 cup)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup leaves)

Corn chile coating

• Sweet corn powder (1/4 cup; 50g)
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white

Instructions

For the cookies: 

1. In a stand mixer (or using a hand-mixer) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (~2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and then mix in the egg yolk and salt. 
2. In a bowl, whisk together the corn flour, AP flour, and chile powder. 
3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Mix until the flour is incorporated and a crumbly dough texture has formed. Cover and put in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes. 

For the filling: 

1. In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, egg, sugar, salt, and lime zest. For a more savory twist, add in ¼ cup finely crumbled Cotija cheese. Cover and keep in the fridge until assembly. 
2. For the cilantro sugar, combine the granulated sugar and cilantro leaves in a mortar and pestle. Grind until well combined – you should have a bright green sugar the texture of wet sand. 

Assembly + baking: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. 
2. In a small bowl, mix the egg white until foamy. 
3. On a plate, whisk together the corn powder, chile powder, and salt. 
4. Roll the cookie dough into 1 inch balls, about 25g each. Dip each ball in the egg white and then roll in the corn powder-chile mix. 
5. Once all balls have been formed, use your thumb to make an indent in the middle of the ball. Use your fingers to pinch shut any cracks in the dough and form a cup-like shape. 
6. Fill each cookie-cup with a scant teaspoon of the filling. Top with a pinch of cilantro sugar. 
7. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies start to turn golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely on the tray. 
8. Savor and enjoy!