Contents
A wafer poured out thin, baked until translucent at the edges, and draped over a rolling pin while hot so it sets in a curve — the shape of a roof tile, which is what the name means. It is the fastest cookie in French pastry and the least forgiving, because the working window between pliable and shattered is about fifteen seconds.
The batter is a tant pour tant idea: roughly equal weights of egg white, sugar, butter and flour, adjusted by what you want the tile to do.
What makes it work
- Spread thin and even, or nothing else matters. A stencil cut from a yogurt lid, or an offset spatula and patience. A thick spot stays chewy while the rim burns.
- Bake until the edges are brown and the centre is blond. That colour gradient is the doneness signal; a uniformly pale tuile will not crisp.
- Shape within 15 seconds of leaving the oven. Work one tray at a time, and keep the shaping form — rolling pin, bottle, cup — next to the oven.
- If they set before you shape them, put them back in for 30 seconds. They soften again completely. This is the one repairable step.
- Humidity is the enemy. A tuile left out on a damp day is limp in an hour.
Ingredients
Makes about 24.
- 60 g egg white, about 2
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 g fine salt
- 1 tsp vanilla — see Pure vanilla extract
For almond tuiles (tuiles aux amandes): replace 25 g of the flour with 75 g flaked almonds, folded in at the end.
Method
Whisk the egg whites and powdered sugar smooth — not aerated, just combined. Whisk in the flour and salt, then the melted butter and vanilla. Rest the batter 30 minutes in the fridge; it thickens and spreads more evenly.
Spread teaspoons of batter into 8 cm discs on a silicone mat or parchment, as thin as you can get them without holes. Four to a tray, no more.
Bake 175 °C / 350 °F for 6–8 minutes, until the outer 1 cm is deep gold.
Lift each one immediately with an offset spatula and drape it over a rolling pin or into a cup. Leave 30 seconds to set, then move to a rack.
Notes
- The batter keeps a week in the fridge, which makes tuiles a good use for leftover egg whites from a custard or a curd.
- Cigarette russe is the same batter rolled around a pencil instead of draped; a tuile panier is one pressed into a bowl for ice cream.
- Sesame, poppy seed, chopped walnuts or finely grated citrus zest all fold in without changing the ratio.
- Store with a desiccant in a rigid box. They break in a bag.
Elsewhere on the site
Method and theory: Cookie recipes · cookies · pastry
Nearby: oatmeal lace cookies · pizzelle · palmiers