With the alluring flavor of our masa harina and the subtle crunch of cornmeal, these giant cookies are sweet and salty, soft and chewy, and just plain delicious. Inspired by a recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi, they’ll make you feel like a kid again as you conjure up memories of your favorite corn-based sweet breakfast cereal.
Place one rack in the top third of your oven and one in the bottom third. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. (If you have only one baking sheet, see “tips,” below, for baking in batches).
Weigh your flours; or measure by gently spooning into a cup, then sweeping off any excess
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, masa harina, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.
Beat in the egg; scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat again briefly, if necessary.
Add the dry ingredients, stirring just until incorporated.
Scoop the dough by the heaping 1/4-cupful onto the prepared pans — our scone and muffin scoop is a great tool here — leaving 4” between each cookie to allow for spreading; five cookies per pan (using a large baking sheet) works well.
Place the two pans of cookies in the oven and bake them for 13 to 16 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through (top to bottom, bottom to top). The cookies’ edges will be set and they’ll be just lightly golden; the centers should still be soft.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving.
Store leftover cookies, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Masa harina absorbs moisture readily, so if you’re baking your cookies in batches (rather than all at once) choose one of following two options to keep your cookies flat and chewy (rather than rounded and more tender):
If you prefer smaller, traditionally sized cookies, scoop the dough by the heaping tablespoonful onto the prepared pans, spacing them 2” apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. You’ll make about 28 medium (3”) cookies.
