Classic Tuiles

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg whites until well combined—you’re not beating in air and the whites shouldn’t be foamy. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Add the flour and vanilla (or another extract or spice, if using), and whisk to combine; the mixture should be smooth. Refrigerate the batter for at least 4 hours.
2. Start off by baking only one or two cookies at a time until you get a feel for the timing—they firm up quickly and can only be shaped while they’re soft. 
3. Heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a very flat, level baking sheet or cookie sheet with a nonstick baking mat (or with parchment sprayed liberally with nonstick cooking spray). Spoon a small amount of tuile batter on the baking sheet. Spread as evenly and thinly as possible into a circle the size you want (the size won’t change much during baking).
4. Bake until the cookie is golden brown all over, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately start to maneuver a spatula under the edge of the cookie. After 10 seconds or so, it will hold together and can be slid off the sheet with the spatula. To make the classic “roof tile” tuile shape, lay the hot cookie on a rolling pin, juice bottle or small can. The tuile will firm up in a minute and should release easily.
5. Use a new, cool baking sheet for each batch, or let the sheet cool completely (or run it under cool water and dry it well). If the batter is spooned onto a hot pan, it will melt instantly and become unspreadable.