Birch Bark Tuiles Recipes

BIRCH-BARK TUILES

Steps:

• Line baking sheets with nonstick silicone baking mats (parchment doesn't work as well). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat egg whites with sugar on medium speed until foamy. Add flour and salt; beat to combine. Add butter, cream, and vanilla; beat to combine.
• Transfer 1/2 cup batter to a small bowl; stir in cocoa. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, such as Ateco #3 or #4 (you can also use a paintbrush). Pipe small dots and dashes and "knots" sparsely across surface of baking mat, mimicking birch bark. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Place stencil over "birch" markings; spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons batter into stencil. Spread evenly with a small offset spatula; it will be very thin. (It's okay if some of the markings smear -- they will look more realistic.) Repeat to fill baking sheet (about 6 per sheet). Remove stencil and bake until just set and barely turning golden on a few edges, 8 to 9 minutes. Let cool 30 seconds. Working with one cookie at a time, loosen edges with a spatula and remove from pan. Roll cookies into cylinders and place, seam-sides down, on a tray or counter; let cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies, returning them to oven for a few seconds to warm if they start to get brittle before you roll them.
• Clean baking mats and stencil between batches, and repeat with remaining batter. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container, with parchment in between each, at room temperature up to 3 days.

TUILES

Steps:

• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the confectioners' sugar and flour and mix until combined. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating after each addition just until well blended, about 1 minute in all. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a rolling pin at hand. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
• Spoon 2 teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheet and with a small, offset metal spatula, spread it evenly into a 3-inch circle. Repeat to form more tuiles, baking only 6 to 8 at a time. Refrigerate the remaining batter while you bake the tuiles.
• Bake the tuiles for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately shape the tuiles, lifting up each one with a metal spatula and draping it over the rolling pin so it curves, just until set. Repeat with the remaining batter. Store the tuiles in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CINNAMON TUILLES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (a French nonstick mat). Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip, pipe batter onto prepared baking sheet in 4-inch long strips; leaving 1/2-inch between cookies. Bake until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet on a wire rack.