Does this help?

https://cheftalk.com/threads/corn-flour-in-chinese-cooking.90125/

The recipes I find call for a mixture of corn starch and regular AP white flour.

I disagree -- they're different. Check the difference between Bob's Red Mill "corn flour" and "cornstarch". I wish someone local would sell his corn flour -- I love it!

In America, corn flour could be more like masa harina, but elsewhere around the world, corn flour often refers to cornstarch, AFAIK.

I looked up some recipes too & some of them do call for a combo of wheat flour & cornstarch. And a number of Chinese recipes call for cornstarch, IMPE.

Epicurious.com has a recipe using only self-rising flour, BTW.

Carol is correct. In America corn flour is more like masa harina, and it does not have the same meaning that corn flour has in Britain or Australia. If you watch The Great British Baking Show, you will notice that they always call cornstarch "corn flour". Some people in America may call masa harina "corn flour", but that is just confusing, since it has a completely different meaning in Britain. I guess you can blame Bob's Red Mill for that.

The Chinese (especially in Hong Kong) may use some British terms in their recipes.

Link the recipe. I'm confused by the confusion. Well, not really. Corn starch is the starch, the carbohydrate without the protein. Removed from the germ. (I think) Found in the endosperm. White, fine, and silky. Amount is almost always, in a cookie, a scant tbsp or less.

I prefer the US labeling. Corn flour is 'floured' corn meal. Just a finer grind. Easy to make by running a course or medium corn meal through a spice grinder or food mill.

Masa is limed. Not corn 'flour'.

I can only get a course corn meal in Canada. And corn starch. I just pulse the coarse meal in a spice grinder for a 'bob's red mill' style corn flour. For corn cakes, corn bread, I take half the recipe and 'flour' it. The course meal I soak in the warmed liquid in the recipe, to soften, for an hour. (it was making a slightly gritty corn cake before).

As an Aussie, I can categorically state that what we call "corn flour" is what you call "corn starch".

I second that. Cornflour is cornstarch.

I ended up using "corn starch" & they turned out wonderful! My next batch just for kicks I am going to use corn meal since I already bought some. I dont think they will turn out good but they should be interesting. Thanks for the comments everyone. Here is a link to the cookies I made.

https://www.misstamchiak.com/recipe-ultimate-butter-cookies/

She uses corn starch. The recipe creator, maureen, answers in her 'responses/comments' lower down that her corn flour is actually corn starch. 1/4 cup (50grams) is a lot but it is probably what makes them light and airy and tender.

She is in Singapore so makes sense.