Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.
Venetian Cornmeal and Currant Cookies (Zaletti)
Zaletti are buttery, crisp Italian cornmeal cookies studded with raisins or currants. The dried fruit usually is first plumped in grappa, a fiery Italian brandy, but we opted instead to use orange liqueur for its more nuanced flavor. We then upped the citrus notes with grated orange zest. The cooled cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.
40
cookies
Tip
Don’t use coarsely ground cornmeal or polenta. Their rough texture will result in crumbly, rather than crisp, cookies.
30 minutes
10 minutes active
Ingredients
-
70
g (½ cup) dried currants
-
3
tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 350°F with racks in the upper- and lower-middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment. In a small saucepan over medium, bring the currants and orange liqueur to a simmer. Cover, remove from the heat and set aside.
Reviews
February 6, 2026
Light and Delicious!
These cookies are buttery and light, and absolutely delicious. The orange flavor is subtle, yet present, and the cornmeal provides a very welcome "crunch" to the texture. I'm not a fan of raisins, but the currants here work well - there are so many of them I was concerned, but they stay well in the background. I got less that 40 cookies, so I must have made mine larger than the recipe called for, but they were perfect as is. And they were eaten and enjoyed much faster than expected ! Can't wait to make them again.
March 1, 2025
Frank C
I could not find any finely ground cornmeal so I used Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina and they turned out great.
March 1, 2025
Delicious!
Fun texture with the cornmeal. Cookies were crumbly, crunchy, and somewhat soft. I loved them!
November 14, 2023
Question!
I want to make this for a xmas cookie exchange. I am wondering about the fine cornmeal. Is this corn flour?
November 16, 2022
Easy and delicious
I used half lemon zest and half orange zest. Used 1 TB Triple Sec and 2 TB water ( to limit alcohol). I will try substituting orange juice next time for the triple sec next time. Loved these
Would orange extract be a suitable substitute for the Cointreau; if so, how much should I use?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. These little gems are a real treat and just a super combination of flavors. I followed the recipe with weight measurements. Substituted all purpose with Bob’s 1:1 gluten free flour blend. Found fine grind cornmeal by Arrowhead Mills. Cointreau was such a genius addition. My bake time was 12-13 min. They turned out perfectly. Thank you
Become A Subscriber To Rate and Review All Our Recipes.
Please Log in or join today for $1.
This is a beautiful cookie. Tender and flavorful, they practically melt in your mouth. I substituted a commercial gluten free flour mix (Cup4Cup) so that relatives with wheat sensitivities could enjoy these cookies. I prefer to weigh my flour, particularly when using gluten free. I also let the dough rest a bit before spooning out and baking. As with rice flours, the dough goes from sticky to light and fluffy within 30 minutes.