French Tuile Cookies Recipes

FRENCH ALMOND WAFERS (TUILES)

Steps:

• Beat egg whites in bowl at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, almond extract and salt until smooth. Gradually beat in flour until smooth. Continue beating, adding 1 tablespoon butter at a time, until batter is smooth and well mixed. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Drop batter by teaspoonfuls at least 3 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Spread batter, using spatula and working in a circular motion, into 1 1/2-inch circles; sprinkle immediately with almonds. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• Remove cookies from oven. Immediately press cookies over rolling pin or 12-ounce beverage can to form curved shape. Let cookies set until well formed and cooled slightly. Cool completely.

VANILLA OR CHOCOLATE TUILES

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.
• Lower the speed and add the flour or flour-cocoa mixture (see Cook's Note) and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Cover bowl and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cut a small hole (about 3 1/2 inch diameter) in a thin piece of cardboard or plastic to serve as a template in forming the tuiles. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat and place the stencil on it. Using a small off-set spatula, place a small amount of the batter in the center of the hole of the stencil and spread it out evenly. Carefully lift the stencil off. Repeat for more cookies.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and while still hot, remove tuiles from the pan and drape them over a rolling pin. Allow to sit a few minutes to harden and cool. Store in an airtight container.

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.

FRENCH TUILE COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter with the icing sugar and honey until smooth (you can do this with electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat in the egg whites (the mixture may look curdled - that is OK). Sift in the flour and stir until the batter is smooth and then chill it until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a baking tray with a silicone-coated liner (this is preferred over parchment paper, since the paper can wrinkle). Prepare a template by cutting out a shape in the centre of a flat piece of plastic (such as a yogurt container lid, with the edges trimmed away). The template can be just about any shape or size - the classic French "tuile" is a square, but a teardrop, leaf, heart or any other shape is common. Ready a small rolling pin or other curved tool, and steady it so that it doesn't move - resting the warm cookies on this will give them their curve.
• Place the template on the silicone liner and, using a small palette knife, spread an even layer of batter over the template, smoothing as needed. Lift the template carefully, scrape off any excess batter and place it next to the first cookie and repeat until the tray is filled. Bake the cookies for 5 to 6 minutes, until they brown at the edges (stay near the oven, since 30 seconds can make a big difference).
• Remove the baking tray from the oven and immediately and carefully start lifting the warm cookies and placing them on the rolling pin to curl and cool. If the cookies cool before you can get them to the rolling pin, you can return the tray to the oven for 10-15 seconds to soften up the cookies again. Repeat until you have the number of tuiles you wish (making a few extra is wise, since they are delicate and can break easily). The remaining batter will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.