Italian zaleti — currant cornmeal cookies that aren’t too sweet. Beautifully flavoured with lemon zest. Can be made with dried cranberries in place of currants.

Stop to Savour Italian Currant Cornmeal Cookies Called Zaleti

An easy cookie that’s unique and delicious

In the spring of 1998 my mom gave me the excellent cookbook called “Baking with Julia”, a compilation of recipes from a cooking show hosted by Julia Child. On the show top pastry chefs, bakers, teachers and cookbook authors visited Julia in her kitchen to demonstrate how to make his or her signature creation.

I have made all sorts of special recipes out of that book over the years but none more than these little Italian currant cornmeal cookies, called zaleti.

Not too sweet and beautifully flavoured with lemon zest they are somewhere in between a cornmeal biscuit and a cookie.

Made with butter, zaleti have a beautiful texture and a real wholesomeness. At the same time they feel extra special to me, a little fancy almost. I suspect it’s because they’re unique.

Don’t be fooled by that uniqueness though. They are super simple to make.

Two versions

I bake two batches every December: one with the recipe below and a second using the zest from a Meyer lemon paired with dried cranberries in place of the currants. Both versions are so delicious and wholesome. I give them as gifts during the holidays but always leave enough for us to enjoy.

Use medium grind cornmeal for this recipe. Another option is 2/3 cup corn flour and 1/3 cup coarse cornmeal.

Love lemon flavoured biscuits? Try these Lemon Biscuits.

Green Tip:

If you like to use lemon zest in your cooking look for organic lemons. If you can’t find organic be sure to scrub the skin well with a vegetable brush and non-toxic dish soap before zesting.

Currant Cornmeal Cookies Called Zaleti

Recipe by Bridget OlandCourse: Cookies, CornmealDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Italian zaleti – currant cornmeal cookies that aren’t too sweet. Beautifully flavoured with lemon zest. Can be made with dried cranberries in place of currants.

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup cold butter
1 cup currants (or dried cranberries)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in cold butter.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla.
Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine.
Add the dried fruit.
Scrape mixture onto the counter and work into a dough. Mixture will seem very dry but if you work it with your hands you’ll see how it comes together.
Press dough into a ball, cut into four equal pieces. Form each piece into a 12” log. Flatten slightly and cut into 8-10 pieces, cutting on the diagonal so you have a diamond-shaped cookie.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden on the edges.

2 Comments

Christine
March 8, 2024 at 9:54 pm · Reply

I really liked this recipe – I had dried currants AND dried cranberries leftover from making Irish soda bread and wanted some kind of cookie recipe to use them up. Your recipe didn’t mention when to add the dried currants (or cranberries in) but I added them at the end after combining the wet ingredients in. Working with the dough with your hands for a few minutes really did the trick because the warmth from your hands sort of softens the butter and the dough comes together. I did not do the traditional shape, instead I shaped small balls and pressed them flat with my palm, then shaped them to be round. I used half cranberries and half currants. The cookies are delish!
- Bridget Oland
  April 11, 2025 at 7:31 pm · Reply
  
  Hi Christine, Glad you enjoyed them. I like your method of rolling them in small balls. Apologies that my method is incomplete. (You added the fruit at the right time though.) I’ll make that correction.