Daring Bakers January--Tuile Cookies

Custard-Filled Tuiles with Chocolate Ganache

Batter
Recipe:
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.1/4 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F


Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly. (You can also spread the batter very thinly with a small offset spatula, but they won't be as thin or even unless you're way better at it than me.)

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a baking sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Custard:
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 egg yolks
2 cups milk plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 vanilla bean, optional
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp rum or vanilla--I used Meyer's Dark Rum
Make the custard:
Prepare a bowl in an ice bath. Combine sugar, cornstarch and yolks in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice open vanilla bean and scrape out seeds, add both to saucepan. Slowly add egg yolks and milks, whisking to prevent lumps. Turn heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened. Turn heat to medium, and continue to cook for one minute longer. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla, and place into ice bath, stirring frequently to cool. Pour through a strainer, pushing with a spatula, into a shallow container set in the ice bath. Refrigerate until cookie have cooled, then pipe in with a piping bag.