WineLovers Discussion Group

Just 40 minutes ago, I realized that the little dinner I'm going to tonight at 6:00 requires that I bring a plate of cookies. Instant heart-attack! And 1) I'm not a baker, so 2) my pantry isn't exactly stocked with things a baker needs. But I had some shredded, sweetened coconut, and I thought "tuiles are fast" so I went on line to find a recipe for a coconut tuile. Never have had, seen or heard of such a thing, but the way things go, almost anything you can think of someone else has already done it--and posted it. I printed the second recipe I looked at and went to work.

Two dozen cookies are already cooling on a rack. Doesn't get any easier, so I thought I'd save this recipe here. This would be a great go-to dessert for a non-baker with a cellar full of Sauternes like me--light, small, easy to pass and serve after a nice dinner, and a good match for a white stickie.

1/4 c (1/2 a stick) of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
2 egg whites
1 pinch kosher salt
3 tbslp AP flour
1.5 c sweetened shredded coconut (plus a little more for garnish)

Preheat oven to 400. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg whites one at a time, mixing until smooth. Sprinkle flour over, and fold in gently along with the coconut.

Spoon teaspoonsful of batter onto Silpat lined baking sheets, about 12 cookies per sheet, then top with a pinch of reserved coconut and bake until the edges are nicely browned--watch carefully at this point, they'll go from brown to black in about a minute--about 7 minutes total. Remove from the oven and let the cookies firm up in the pan for about two minutes before removing to a rack for further cooling, or wrap on a rolling pin to form a curl. (Makes a cool looking plate.)

How simple is that? Looks great! Pass the Sauternes....

How many eggs did you say, Jenise? (Gotta watch that woman with white food every minute....)

I was wondering what was going to hold that cookie together?

You're right, you've got to watch me! Two egg whites. (Post has been edited.)

Thanks, Ms. J.

Now, what distinguishes this recipe from one for coconut macaroons?

The batter's much looser. They turn out flat and lacy; not quite as flat a true tuile but they are not the dense mound that is a macaroon.

I think two or three survive; I'll go photograph them.

See? Flat.

Which is good. Bendable. And if you don't care about bending, then you might care about the superior ratio of chewy, browned exterior to plain coconut interior.

Hm. OK. I tried to make macaroons once and what I got was something that looked like a Florentine: very thin, lacy, crispy, caramelized and not even a little bit like a haystack.

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:Hm. OK. I tried to make macaroons once and what I got was something that looked like a Florentine: very thin, lacy, crispy, caramelized and not even a little bit like a haystack.

That's obviously just about what this recipe will get you; only, they're SUPPOSED to be that way.