Big fan of sweet treats? You need to try cornstarch cookies. While lots of cuisines will have their own version of cookies made with cornstarch instead of flour, the version we’re looking at today is Surinamese cornstarch cookies.
These delicious crumbly clouds of goodness require very little ingredients and take very little time to make, so next time you fancy something sweet, you need to try Surinamese cornstarch cookies.
This article will tell you how you can make your very own, so you can treat your friends and family the next time they visit. Keep reading to find out.
Surinamese cuisine prides itself on these delicious cornstarch cookies, often referred to as ‘Gomma cookies’, translating literally to starch cookies.
You’ll find these cookies in most stores in Suriname, and people tend to serve them at parties and gatherings.
To make ‘Gomma cookies’, you use cornstarch instead of wheat flour, so they turn out very fragile and crumbly. This is because wheat contains gluten, a protein that helps to bind ingredients together, without it, you get a much looser, brittle texture.
The crumbly consistency when baked fresh is actually very satisfying and when done right, will leave a lovely cookie coating on the roof of your mouth – drool!
The overall flavor is quite neutral, which is why people tend to add a little vanilla extract and top them with sprinkles.
Fortunately, making ‘Gomma cookies’ is a pretty simple process, so making your own is easy! Plus, most of the ingredients are things you’re likely to already have in your kitchen/ pantry, so they’re also very cheap to make.
Check out the recipe below.
You will need:
- Cornstarch (250 g)
- Sugar (100 g)
- Butter (125 g)
- 1 egg
- Vanilla extract (1 tsp)
- Sprinkles of choice (the rainbow kinds look best)
- A pinch of salt
Method:
Step 1: start off by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a piece of parchment paper on a jelly roll pan ready for when you need it later on
Step 2: take a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, a pinch of salt, butter and vanilla extract. Mix until fully mixed and smooth
Step 3: then, into the same bowl, add the egg and mix thoroughly again until creamy
Step 4: add in the cornstarch gradually and mix slowly as you go. Once it is fully incorporated it will look and feel like dough.
To check the dough is the correct consistency, it shouldn’t stick to your hands when handled, and it should feel soft and easy to mold in your hands. If it feels too sticky, just add a small amount of cornstarch and mix a=until it isn’t sticky anymore
Step 5: traditionally, these cookies are circular, but you can make them any shape you wish. This recipe will tell you how to make traditional cornstarch cookies. So, create little balls of dough, each equal in size, by molding them with your hands
Step 6: place the dough balls onto the baking sheet as you go, once you’ve filled the sheet, take a fork coated in cornstarch (to avoid sticking) and press down on each ball, make a prominent fork mark to make sure they’re nice and flat
Step 7: then add your sprinkles as desired. Typically, they only have a small sprinkle in the middle of the cookies, but you can add as much as you like. A word of advice, though, too many sprinkles will make your cookies very crunchy and distract from the taste and texture of this traditional treat
Step 8: place the cookies into the oven and bake until they start to look a light golden color. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes, but it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t go too brown
Step 9: Once they’re baked, leave them too cool for 5 minutes and serve warm for a softer cookie or wait until they have fully cooled for more of a crunch – delicious!
Cooking and serving tips
These cornstarch cookies take roughly 30 minutes in total to make and can make about 40 cookies! It all depends on how big you make them, though. These cookies tend to be pretty small, which is why this recipe will make so much.
For reference, when you push the fork into the dough balls, they should flatten to be just a little bigger than the fork head.
This recipe is naturally gluten free because instead of regular wheat flour, it uses cornstarch as the binding agent.
However, if you’re thinking of making these cornstarch cookies specifically because they are gluten free you will need to swap about the sprinkles for gluten free versions or just skip the sprinkles altogether. They still taste great without them!
Using sprinkles to top these cookies is what is traditionally used, but you can use whatever toppings you like!
For example, compared to regular wheat-based cookies, cornstarch cookies are a little dryer, so topping them with some glazed icing will make them sweeter and more moist. Alternatively, you could try dipping them in chocolate.
Final Say
Surinamese cornstarch cookies, or ‘Gomma cookies’, are super easy to make, you could even get your children involved. Plus, they’re super satisfying to look at and even more so to eat!
They’re naturally gluten free (apart from the optional sprinkles which can be easily swapped out for a gluten free alternative), so they’re great for those following a gluten free diet that don’t want to give up cookies for good.
While the consistency is pretty different to ‘normal’ cookies as we know them, eating these light, crumbly cookies is super satisfying and delicious, a lovely substitute to denser cookies that are much higher in sugar and fat, too.
We hope this recipe has inspired you to experience different cuisines and try baking Surinamese cornstarch cookies for your family!
