Friday, January 6, 2017

Tuile "Pirouettes"

Are you a fan of those delicate, chocolate-filled pirouette cookies? I know I am - nothing helps quench a starting-to-flare sweet tooth like a few of the slim, crispy treats and a cup of coffee. Being so light and delicate, though, I never pictured the possibility of making them at home - how on earth do you get them that thin? 

Tuile Pirouettes

Well, it turns out the secret is all in the tuile-style cookie, which relies on a batter - even thinner than crepe batter - and careful spreading to achieve the lacy, crisp throughout texture. Rather than my expectations, making the batter is a breeze, and baking and shaping them wasn't that difficult either! The best part of making these was that it was a simple, almost foolproof way to use up a few extra egg whites leftover from cookie making. Tuiles only need four ingredients in the basic workup, but of course there are many many ways to vary the theme. In my case, since I knew I'd be making filled cookies, I stuck with vanilla, accented with a pinch of nutmeg and a little butter flavouring to make up for the absence of butter in the batter itself. While you can use melted butter, but it's a little harder to work with temperature-wise and refrigerating the batter is not recommended. Oil-based batter, though, can hang out in the fridge up to 2 days before you bake it.

Tuiles are also one of the most versatile cookies out there in terms of use and shape. The cookies are still somewhat flexible right out of the oven, and as such can be formed into the cylinders I did, bowls (drape circular cookies over an upturned muffin tin) and the traditional "Pringles" style as well as simply spread onto a designed template and left to cool flat. If you do make the cylinders, I highly suggest a fudgy filling for them - I used a chocolate sour cream frosting with a shot of concentrated cherry juice and a little extra melted chocolate for thickness. I'd recommend Nutella, too. 

On the outside of un-filled tuiles, flaked almonds stick wonderfully to the wet batter and make a decorative accent, or you can drizzle or dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate for a bit of flair. Try that the next time you serve a bowl of ice cream for dessert!


Tuile "Pirouettes"
Makes 10
2 egg whites
125 g (¾ cup) sugar (superfine if you can get it)
60 g (½ cup) all purpose flour
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp butter flavouring
¼ cup canola oil
  1. Heat oven to 350℉.
  2. Add egg whites to a large bowl and whisk a little before adding the sugar and whisking until frothy.
  3. Stir in the flour, nutmeg and vanilla, then add the oil. Mix until smooth.
  4. Can be kept in the fridge at this stage until required.
  5. Spoon onto lined baking trays and spread thinly into rectangles (about the same dimensions as a cheque, maybe a little wider). I suggest no more than 3 at a time, especially if you’re new to tuile making.
  6. Place in the heated oven and bake, 1 tray at a time, for 8-9 minutes, until the tuiles are just turning golden around the edges.
  7. Remove the baking tray from the oven and, working quickly, roll each tuile into a “pipe”, making sure to leave a hole in the middle if you plan to fill them. Cool completely
  8. Store in an airtight container
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 121.0
Total Fat: 5.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 11.1 mg
Total Carbs: 17.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
Protein: 1.3 g

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