Belgian Tuile Cookies Recipes

TUILES

Steps:

• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the confectioners' sugar and flour and mix until combined. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating after each addition just until well blended, about 1 minute in all. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a rolling pin at hand. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
• Spoon 2 teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheet and with a small, offset metal spatula, spread it evenly into a 3-inch circle. Repeat to form more tuiles, baking only 6 to 8 at a time. Refrigerate the remaining batter while you bake the tuiles.
• Bake the tuiles for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately shape the tuiles, lifting up each one with a metal spatula and draping it over the rolling pin so it curves, just until set. Repeat with the remaining batter. Store the tuiles in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

BELGIAN IRON COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and liquor (if desired). Blend in.
• Now it gets to be fun. You have to work in all five pounds of flour little by little by hand. It will work in but it takes a while. You'll wind up with a BIG mixing bowl of dough.
• Refrigerate dough overnight.
• Have plenty of people to help with the cooking. Lightly grease and heat the empty cookie iron over a gas burner. Start with a tablespoon and a half of dough rolled into a little "cigar" shape and vary amount to fit the size of your cookie iron. It takes from one to one and a half minutes to cook each cookie - it's a trial and error process at first till you get a handle on the temperature of the gas burner and the heat retaining capabilities of your iron. A properly cooked cookie will be golden and after cooled, crisp.
• This a family holiday tradition for us and we spend a whole day cooking cookies with lots of testing to make sure they're as good as last year's. The cast iron cookie irons work best, but I have seen people make them with the aluminum pizelle "irons". Ask for a krumkokie (croom cockie) iron at a gourmet cooking shop. We put them in tins and store till next Christmas, eating last year's cookies.

BELGIAN TUILE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Grease cookie sheets; set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white, vanilla and salt. Gradually add flour. Beat until well blended. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter 4 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. (Bake only 4 cookies per sheet.) Flatten slightly with spatula.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until cookies are deep golden brown. Let cookies stand on cookie sheet 1 minute. Working quickly, while cookies are still hot, drape cookies over rolling pin or bottle so both sides hang down and form saddle shape; cool completely.
• Melt chocolate in small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.
• Tilt saucepan to pool chocolate at one end; dip edge of each cookie, turning slowly so entire edge is tinged with chocolate.
• Transfer cookies to waxed paper; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until set. Store tightly covered at room temperature. Do not freeze.

BELGIAN TUILE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Using a whisk, or a stand mixer with the paddle on low speed, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until a paste is formed.
• Gradually add the egg whites as you keep stirring.
• Add the flour in small batches until you have a smooth batter; be careful not to mix too much.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. You may leave it in the fridge for up to a week, just take it out 30 minutes before using.
• Line a baking sheet with a liner or spray with a non-stick spray or butter. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to help the batter spread more easily.
• Using either a stencil or a piping bag, put the batter onto the cookie sheet in your desired shape. Make sure the batter is thin on the sheet. If you want contrasting colors, set aside a small portion of the batter and color it with cocoa or a food coloring and pipe it on for decoration.
• Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown.
• Immediately release from the cookie sheet and mold into your desired shape. The cookies must be molded while still warm.