Baking Obsession

These are the cookies I served with the Café Glacé. They are also nice with ice creams, or mousses, basically – anything creamy, for adding the texture contrast. If you are really seeking the crispiness in the cookies, don’t make them in advance (I mean – well in advance, like a day before). No matter how tight is your container where you’re storing them, the cookies will lose at least some of their crunch, or even worse – they will acquire unpleasant rubbery chewiness. I recommend baking them a couple of hours before the serving time; the process is not complicated at all.

The recipe is from the “Desserts by the Yard”.

Makes about 2 dozens

For the cookies:

• 2 oz (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature

For the ganache (optional):

• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and the confectioners’ sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Don’t overbeat, because tuile batter shouldn’t be too aerated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and mix for an additional 15 seconds. Add the egg whites one at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg white is incorporated. Beat on low speed until the batter is smooth.

To form the paper-thin cookies, place three or four 1-tablespoon mounds of batter 3 inches apart on the silicone-lined baking sheet. Using a small offset spatula, smear each mound in a 180-degree semicircle, like a wind-shield wiper. Rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees and smear the other side of the rounds 180 degrees using the same motion, to complete the circle, making 3-inch rounds.

Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet from front to back and bake for another 4-5 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Do not overbake. Open the oven and place the cookie sheet on the oven door. Using an offset spatula, loosen all of the cookies from the silicone mat, then one by one, lift off the cookies with the spatula and roll up around the handle of a wooden spoon. If the cookies stiffen, return them to the oven for a minute to soften. If this is too difficult (the cookies are hot!), you can either leave them as they are or drape them over a rolling pin. Slide the cookies off the spoon handle. Repeat with the remaining batter. Allow the cookies to cool completely on racks. You can dip the cookies in the ganache, or fill them with the stiffen ganache for a nice touch.