Okay, I did have one. I halved the recipe because I wasn't sure how it would turn out, and now I'm wishing I made the full recipe instead. This cookie is delicious, with a deep, intense chocolate flavour. (Like all of her chocolate recipes.) When completely cooled, it shatters into shards when you bite into it.
It was really easy to make: I was done mixing all the ingredients in 10 minutes. This is the first cookie recipe that I made that I've been really impressed by.
Cocoa Tuiles
Original recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
Makes 24 to 30 two-and-a-half-inch cookies.
Ingredients:
60g unsalted butter, melted and still warm
100g sugar
25g unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed), sieved after measuring.
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
12g (4 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line 3 large baking sheets with silicone liners or lightly buttered aluminum foil (dull-side face up, and press out any wrinkles). (I didn't want to use my butter, so I greased the aluminum foil with vegetable oil. It turned out well. I also forgot about the dull-side-up step, which may have caused my cookies to stick to the foil more than appropriate.)
In a saucepan, melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Then whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder and salt. (I forgot to sieve the cocoa powder, but I was still pleased with the results) Add the egg whites and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and whisk only until combined. Let rest for at least 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Spoon level teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. (The cookies didn't spread in the oven, so I packed them as close as possible in my subsequent trays.) Using the back of a spoon and a circular motion, flatten the batter into 3-inch rounds. These cookies are meant to be THIN. Try to make sure the sides are as thick as the center of the cookies.
 |
| The batter for tuiles is really runny, and not at all like other cookie dough. |
Tuiles are the easiest to remove when very hot, or when completely cooled.
MAKE AHEAD: The cocoa tuiles can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a month. (Well, maybe not in Singapore. The humidity is too high in tropical countries, and the cookies were not as crispy after just a couple of hours)
Additional Notes
Baking time is influenced by how large your cookies are. 3-inch cookies take roughly 10-12 minutes. My second batch was about 2 inch across, and was done in 9 minutes.
Do not use wax baking paper, which the tuiles will stick tightly to when cooled, even when the baking paper is buttered. Using foil instead of wax paper also allows you to roll the sheets after baking to make curved shape tuiles, while wax paper isn't malleable and doesn't hold the shape well.
Upgrades!
Curved tuiles
Tuiles are really soft and malleable straight from the oven, and hardens as it cools. For curved tuiles (see picture, above), drape it over a rolling pin. Or if using foil, grasp the edge of the foil when the sheet comes straight from the oven and roll it into a fat cylinder to give the tuiles a gently curved shape. Secure the ends of the foil with paper clips if necessary. When cooled, peel the tuiles from the foil.
 |
| I used a rolling pin initially, but when I switched to foil, the rolling pin was no longer necessary. |
Use a stencil for any shape you want. The lids of plastic containers would be good for any personalised shape, though my woeful pen-knife skills prevents me from successfully making one...
Nutty Cocoa Cookie Bark with Parmesan and Sea Salt
Nut-topped cocoa tuiles looks -and tastes - really good. A hint of Parmigiano-Reggiano adds umami, but not enough to give itself away.
Set aside 1/4 cup each of slivered raw almond, raw pine nuts, raw hazelnuts (medium finely chopped), raw pistachio (medium finely chopped),
Make batter as directed. Pour half of the batter onto each of the two cookie sheets. Spread the batter evenly to form a rectangle about 9 by 13 inches and less than 1/8 inch in thickness. Be sure the center is no thicker than the edges. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with half of the nut mixture and half (1-1.5 teaspoon) of finely grated Parmesan cheese (Grating fresh parmesan very very lightly over the batter with a microplane zester is recommended by Alice). Crush flakes of sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) between your fingers and sprinkle two tiny pinches over each sheet.
Bake one sheet at a time, watching carefully, for 11-13 minutes, until the batter turns a faintly darker shade of brown and the Parmesan turns golden brown. Rotate the pan from back to front halfway through to ensure even baking. Set the baking sheet onto a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the second sheet.
When completely cooled, slide a thin spatula between the sheet and the liner. The cookie should be completely crisp, and not at all flexible. Break the cookie into large random shards. If any of the large pieces are not completely crisp, return them to the oven for 4-6 minutes.
Cookie may be kept airtight for at least 2 weeks.
Flavoured Cocoa Tuiles
Instead of the parmesan, you can sprinkle each sheet with 1/2 teaspoon of crushed dried rosemary )leaves, not ground) or 1/2 teaspoon of crushed aniseed. Vin Santo, a rare cream sherry, or a 10-year-old Malmsey Madeira makes a divine partner for these.
Holiday Cocoa Tuiles
Bake the Parmesan recipe, but omit the nuts, cheese and sea salt.
Crush peppermint or cinnamon hard candies (or candy canes) to measure 1/3 cup. Melt 2 ounces of white chocolate (not chocolate chips). Drizzle half of the chocolate generously over each sheet of bark, and sprinkle generously over the drizzles. Refrigerate sheets for 10 minutes to set the chocolate. Break as directed and shake off any excess candy.
No comments:
Post a Comment