LEMON PEEL TUILES

Lemon Peel Tuiles image

Yield Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 8

1/2 cup sugar
2 rounded tablespoons finely grated fresh lemon zest (from 4 lemons)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Special Equipment
a nonstick bakeware liner such as Silpat; a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip; a small offset spatula; a 1 1/2- to 2-inch diameter rolling pin or wooden dowel

Steps:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick liner.
Grind sugar and zest in a food processor, pulsing 4 or 5 times, until combined well, then transfer to a bowl. Add butter and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add egg whites and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Transfer batter to pastry bag and pipe 12 (3-inch-long) lines, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheet. (Be careful not to squeeze bag too hard - lines should only be 1/4 inch wide.)
Bake tuiles until edges begin to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Let tuiles stand on baking sheet 20 seconds (just long enough to allow them to firm up slightly), then transfer with offset spatula to rolling pin (stabilized on a cooling rack), draping them diagonally and wiping spatula clean before transferring next cookie. (If cookies become too crisp to drape, put them back in oven for a few seconds to soften.) Make more tuiles in same manner, using a cool baking sheet and wiping nonstick liner clean with paper towels between batches.