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Cigarettes Russes

These cookies are soft and pliable when they first come out of the oven. You have to prepare these delicate wafers one sheet at a time so that you can quickly roll them around a dowel while they are still warm. Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts aren’t perfect—just keep going and you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Finely chopped toasted almonds, for rolling (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Add butter, egg whites, cream, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

    Step 2

    Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats (such as Silpats).

    Step 3

    Make four cookies at once: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, spread batter into a very thin 6 by 3 1/2-inch oval. Repeat, making two more ovals of batter on the sheet. Bake just until brown around edges, about 6 minutes.

    Step 4

    When cookies come out of the oven, use a long offset spatula to quickly transfer cookies, one at a time, to a work surface; roll around a chopstick or a thin wooden dowel, forming a cylinder shape; transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Repeat to roll remaining three cookies. If they harden too quickly, return baking sheet to oven for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.

    Step 5

    Put chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir often until smooth. Stir in oil. Let cool slightly. Dip about 2 inches of each cooled cookie into chocolate. Roll dipped edge in chopped nuts, if desired. Transfer to a wire rack, placing dipped section off the edge, to set. Cookies can be stored between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

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