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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Elegantly rolled, gorgeously crisp Tuile Cigars are a sweet vanilla-scented treat on their own, and they also beautifully complement richer chocolate treats or creamy desserts like pudding, mousse, ice cream, or pot de crème.
- These delicate cookies are made with a silky batter consisting of egg whites, powdered sugar, and butter.
- After baking, they’re quickly rolled to give them their trademark cigar shape.
You’ll love pairing Tuile Cigars with the other scrumptiously creative sweets in our Chocolate Charcuterie Board, including Chocolate Ganache Dip and Mocha Pâté. If you expect a crowd, add more easy-to-grab holiday delicacies like Christmas Sugar Cookie Truffles, Chocolate Profiteroles (Cream Puffs), and Candy Cane and Chocolate Peppermint Bark.
Table of Contents
- What are Tuile Cigars?
- Tools You Need
- Key Ingredients and Why
- How to Make Tuile Cigars
- Can I Make Tuile Cigars in Advance?
- How to Store Tuile Cigars
- FAQs
- Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- More Delectably Crisp Cookie Recipes
What is a Tuile Cigar?
- A Tuile Cigar is a thin, delicate cookie rolled in a cigar shape while still hot. As the cookie cools, it becomes crispy.
- The buttery flavor of a Tuile Cigar is fabulous, but it’s also fun to dip the ends of the cookies in melted dark or bittersweet chocolate and nuts or sprinkles.
- Tuile (pronounced “tweel”), is the French word for tile, and these cookies are often shaped not in tight rolls but in gentle curves made by draping the hot cookie over a wooden rolling pin. The resulting curved shape is similar to the clay roof tiles used in Provence. Try this shape if you prefer it to the rolled type!
Tools You Need
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Baking sheet
- Silicone baking mat (very important)
- Wooden spoon
Key Ingredients and Why
-
All-purpose flour
- All-purpose flour gives the tuile cookie structure. As one of only two dry ingredients in the batter, all-purpose flour is crucial as a binding agent.
- All-purpose flour, with a 9-11% protein content, is the ideal flour to make these cookies strong enough to keep their shape.
-
Powdered sugar
- Powdered sugar, or confectioner’s or icing sugar, is finer than granulated sugar. Its texture gives powdered sugar the ability to dissolve quickly, making the batter smooth and the cookies thin and crisp.
- Making your own powdered sugar is easy and much quicker than making a trip to the store.
-
Egg whites
- The protein in the egg whites contributes to the cookies’ crispness. As the water in the egg whites evaporates during baking, the cookies gain their thin, crisp structure.
- Using room-temperature egg whites is crucial to ensure that they keep their stable structure after being whipped. Room-temperature whites also blend better with other ingredients. Use this guide to get your eggs to the correct temperature.
-
Butter
- The fat in butter coats the flour, keeping gluten from developing. This helps create the cookie’s delicate texture.
- Butter adds rich flavor to the cookies. It helps make the cookies pliable so they can be formed into a cigar shape.
-
Vanilla extract
- Vanilla’s warm, slightly floral note gives flavor depth to the cookies and balances out the sweetness.
How to Make Tuile Cigars
- Make the cookie batter:
- Whisk the dry ingredients including flour and sugar.
- Separately, whisk the wet ingredients including egg whites, butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Stir wet and dry ingredients together until smooth, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the baking sheet with a silicone mat. Before proceeding, make sure the batter is thin and pourable.
- Bake the cookies: Bake two cookies at a time. For each cookie, spoon two teaspoons of batter on the lined baking sheet, and use the back of a spoon to spread into a 5-inch diameter circle. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden.
- Shape the cookies: Roll the warm tuiles around the handle of a wooden spoon or use your fingers to roll them into a cigar shape. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Can I Make Tuile Cigars in Advance?
Yes, you can make Tuile Cigars in advance.
- Prepare the batter and store it in the fridge for up to two days.
- This is the best way to make the cookies in advance as they can soften after baking, and are best served the day of baking.
How to Store Tuile Cigars
- Store Tuile Cigars in an airtight container at room temperature.
- They will stay crisp for one day, and although they’ll soften after that, they’ll still be good to eat for three days.
FAQs
-
How do I ensure that my Tuile Cigars are crispy?
- Be sure to preheat the oven so it’s at the correct temperature before baking. The cookies need to be cooked quickly in a hot oven to be crisp.
- Note the directions for spreading the batter into a 5-inch circle so that the cookies have the correct thinness.
- For maximum crispiness, serve cookies the day you bake them.
-
Are Tuile Cigars the same as pirouette cookies?
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- You will need a silicone baking mat to bake these. The wet batter will make the parchment paper underneath buckle while baking and the cookies won’t be smooth.
- It’s important to bake only two cookies at a time so that the cookies won’t get too cool before you have a chance to roll them.
- Instead of cigars, you can drape the warm cookies over a wooden rolling pin to make a wave shape.
- You can make small tuile cups by draping the just-baked cookies over small glasses or ramekins.
- A teaspoon of lemon or orange zest is a nice addition to these cookies.
- These are nice on a holiday cookie platter along with Cranberry Orange Shortbread and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.
More Delectably Crisp Cookie Recipes
- Lace Sandwich Cookies
- Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Cookies)
- Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
- Iconic Speculaas Cookies
Try These Recipes!
Tuile Cigars
Elevate your baking prowess with these divine Tuile Cigars, delicate rolled cookies that transform simple ingredients into exquisite delights.
Servings: 24 cigars
Elevate your baking prowess with these divine Tuile Cigars, delicate rolled cookies that transform simple ingredients into exquisite delights.
Servings: 24 cigars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (3¾ oz/105 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (4 oz/115 g) powdered sugar
- 4 large egg whites , at room temperature
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg whites, butter, vanilla extract and salt until combined.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients until the batter is smooth, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Check the consistency of the batter – it should be like a thick pancake batter.
- Bake only 2 cookies at a time: for each cookie place about 2 teaspoons of batter onto the mat and using the back of a spoon, spread the dough from the center outwards in a circular fashion until you have a circle about 5-inches (12 ½ cm) wide.
- Bake the cookies for 5 -6 minutes, until the edges look golden. Remove the tray from the oven and while the tuiles are on the mat and still hot, quickly roll the cookies into a cigar shape and transfer to a wire rack to cool. (You can roll by hand or use a wooden spoon handle)
- Once the tuiles are completely cool, transfer to an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Tuile will stay crisp for up to one day if properly stored. After this they may soften a bit but will still be good for up to 3 days.
Hi Gemma,
Do you think I could “bake” these on a krumkake iron?
Thanks!
Janet
Great but it too long