Cornmeal Cardamom Cookies

These are addictive -- between the crunch of the cornmeal and the elegant cardamom fragrance, they're perfect both as a standalone munchie or to dunk in a cup of coffee, tea, or milk.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Mix in flour and cornmeal until just blended. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F and line your baking sheets with trusty cooking parchment. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into balls (a good size is somewhere between a cherry and a golf ball). Punch each little doughball down into a round disk in the palm of your hand. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden.

I made these to thank a co-worker who helped me unload a U-Haul full of furniture, including the biggest heaviest queen-sized mattress known to man. Steve isn't normally a fan of crunchy cookies, but devoured these with abandon. The next time you're moving house, have a batch of these ready to reward your heavy lifters -- they'll thank you!