I just received a new cookbook to review called “Pure Vanilla – Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques” by Shauna Sever. As you might have guessed, the entire cookbook contains recipes using vanilla…in everything. I’m more of a chocolate girl myself, however, this book could change me. The cover, itself, is rather enticing. So, I thought it would be fitting to test out a vanilla cookie recipe for The Twelve Days of Cookies.

I picked a simple Vanilla Bean Tuile and it really was…..simple. Simple to throw together, simple to bake….not so simple to peel off the silicone baking mat. There’s a technique to it, I should have know.

Some tips for successful tuiles:

  • Don’t remove from the oven too soon…be sure they are golden brown or they will just fold up into a ball when you try to peel them off with the spatula.
  • Make sure to wipe off the rolling pin or other rounded object your using for the shape or the next batch will slide right off. They are a butter based cookie after all.
  • Be warned….if you start a new batch on a hot/warm baking sheet…be quick! They will start to melt immediately and slide all over the place.
  • Hide them from your family if you plan to use them as a garnish or on a holiday cookie plate because I made these at noon today and there are only 4 left. I do hear Katie milling around upstairs so I’m pretty sure there is ZERO left at this very moment.

These were surprisingly good for how simple they are. They resemble Pringle’s potato chips but taste like a thin, sugary, buttery wafer…crisp on the outside, light and chewy on the inside. Heaven. Definitely.

You could serve these on their own or use as a garnish for ice cream or creme brulee. They….are….fabulous.

Vanilla Bean Tuiles

Vanilla Bean Tuiles

Recipe from Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

2 large egg whites

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

5 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all- purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, butter, vanilla bean paste, and salt until smooth. Add flour and whisk to blend well.

Scoop batter onto prepared sheet in 2 teaspoon dollops. Use use fingertip to smooth into thin 3 inch rounds, spaced 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are lightly golden all over and deeply golden at the edges, about 8 to 9 minutes. Using an offset spatula, carefully lift the cookies off the baking sheet and drape them over a curved form, like a wine bottle or rolling pin.

The cookie rounds will firm quickly, so if you have trouble removing them from the baking sheet, pop it in the oven for another 30 seconds, just to soften the cookies and make them workable. Repeat the process until all the batter is used.

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