Fall Leaf Tuile Cookies

1. Make chocolate and white tuile batters according to following recipes.
Heat oven to 400. Trace a leaf onto a large, flexible, plastic lid, such
as one from a coffee can. Using scissors, cut lip from lid. With a utility
knife, cut out the leaf shape to make a stencil.

2. Place nonstick baking mat on top of a baking sheet, and place stencil on
mat. Using a small offset spatula, spread a thin layer of chocolate batter
over stencil; carefully lift up stencil. Repeat, making more leaves,
spacing evenly on baking mat. Transfer 1/2 cup white batter into a pastry
bag fitted with an #2 tip. Pipe white veins onto chocolate leaves. Bake 4
minutes.

3. Using spatula, drape leaves over rolling pin to cool. Repeat process to
make 50 cookies, reserving 1/2 cup of chocolate batter.

4. Repeat step with white batter, using reserved chocolate batter for
piping.

FALL LEAF COOKIES

Traditionally, tuiles are thin, crisp almond cookies that are gently molded
over a rolling pin or arched form while they are still warm. Once set,
their shape ressembles the curved French roofing tiles for which they’re
named. Create an autumnal variation on the classic French tuile cookie by
shaping them with a leaf-shaped stencil. The basic tuile dough of sugar,
nuts, eggs, flour, and butter can be enhanced by flavorings such as
chocolate, vanilla, lemon or orange. These delicate cookies are delicious
served alone, or along side a bowl of ice cream.

To make leaf-shaped tuiles, Martha Stewart cuts stencils shaped like maple
and oak leaves from the tops of plastic containers. She places the stencils
on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat. She forms the cookies
by spreading a thin layer of dough inside the open part of the stencil.
After removing the stencil form, she decorates each leaf cookie by piping
“veins” with a pastry bag filled with a contrasting dough before baking.

Work quickly when removing the cookies from the oven because if you wait
too long the cookies will harden on the baking sheet and won’t be flexible
enough to curve over the rolling pin. If this happens, you can return the
baking sheet to the oven for a few seconds, and try again. This recipe uses
Dutch-process cocoa, known for its rich flavor and color.

busted by sooz