Chocolate Tuiles

Contributors

Cookbook

Jacques Torres' A Year in Chocolate: 80 Recipes for Holidays and Special Occasions

Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

View

Chocolate Tuiles

This image courtesy of Steve Pool

Editor's Note: Here is a way to make a great-shaped French cookie that can be a pretty element in an ice cream dessert for your next party at your home. The curved shape of these cookies gives it great lines on a plate with fruit, custard or ice cream, but proceed with caution -- these traditional cookies are brittle and can easily break.

The French cookie is named after traditional roof tiles found in France and other Mediterranean locations. To get this curved shape you can take the dough and drape it over a rolling pin or wine bottle. Specially designed pans are also available for purchase to make tuiles. Bon appetit.

The curved shape of these cookies makes them a wonderful garnish for ice cream or other desserts. They are named after the traditional curved roof tiles (tuile is French for “tile”) seen in France and elsewhere in the Mediterranean, and are easy to make except when it is humid, as the dampness in the air will cause them to wilt. You can purchase specially designed pans for making tuiles, but I find it is just as easy to drape them over a rolling pin or an empty wine bottle.

Cooking MethodBaking

CostInexpensive

Make Ahead RecipeYes

OccasionFormal Dinner Party

Recipe CourseDessert

MealDinner

Taste and TextureChocolatey, Crisp, Nutty, Sweet

Type of DishCookie

Ingredients

3¾ cups confectioners sugar
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
½ cup water
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
¾ cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts or blanched almonds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Have ready a nonstick cookie sheet, or line a regular cookie sheet with a silicone mat.
In a bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and water and whisk until well blended, add the butter and whisk just to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour just to incorporate. Do not overmix, or the batter will shrink as the cookies bake. If lumps form, carefully break them up with the spatula and incorporate them into the batter. (The batter can be made to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 week, return to room temperature before proceeding.)
Using a small offset spatula, spread the batter into circles about 2 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle some chopped nuts in the center of each circle. Have a clean rolling pin or a bottle or two at hand.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until just set. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 seconds. Using an offset spatula and working quickly, lift the cookies one at a time from the pan and drape, nut side up, over the rolling pin. Allow the cookies to cool on the rolling pin for about 3 minutes, so they will hold their shape. If they cool on the pan before you get a chance to drape them, place the pan back in the oven for about a minute to soften them. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.