Day three of the Twelve days of cookies finds us in the 80’s again, but this time in the late 80’s. The charts were rockin’ to The Escape Club singing Wild Wild West, Bobby McFerrin released Don’t Worry, Be Happy, and Bon Jovi (Who rocks, occasionally) released Bad Medicine. The Big Hair Craze was fading into the mullet, and The car of choice for most people ws beginning to look something like the modern SUV.

According to Gourmet magazine, the best cookie of the year was the pistachio tuile.  They had this to say…  But they were wrong:

What petits fours were to the well-heeled in the 1950s, tuiles were in the 80s, garnishing every dessert plate in the land. Still, the potato-chip-thin cookie studded with pistachios is a combination that will never go out of style. Drop level tablespoons of batter, then spread into a thin 3-inch round and bake at 350° F for 6 to 9 minutes.

Umm, that was supposed to be teaspoons, not tablespoons, people… Geez.  Of course, that’s not the only thing they got wrong.  Like “not everyone loves Amaretto.”  I’m one of those people, and these things taste like Amaretto, so not my favorite thing ever…  Not by a long shot.

My wife loves them however, so they have redeeming qualities.  In all they’re pretty simple to make, taste like half a tiramisu (add a little cream and you’re there).  For me, any other extract in the world would probably make these things good, but the almond extract flavor is just too much.  Perhaps with hazlenut extract I’d love them, but that wasn’t the recipe.

So if you like amaretto I’d say give them a 9.  On my personal scale they rate a solid 4.

But they are pretty, aren’t they?

Pistachio Tuiles
(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Favorite Cookies, 1941-2008. Method rewritten for clarity.)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 large egg white at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios, chopped
• 1 pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer or stand mixer.  Add the sugar and beat the mixture until light and fluffy.  Add almond extract, egg white and salt.  Beat for 5 to 10 seconds on high, or until mixture is smooth but not  frothy. Add the pistachios and sift the flour over all.  Fold with a spatula to combine. (Batter will be thin)

Spoon rounded teaspoons full of the mixture 3 inches apart onto a buttered baking dish or a silicone mat placed on a sheet pan. With a fork dipped in cold water, spread the batter into 3 inch rounds.  Bake in batches for 5 to 8 minutes, or until edges are a deep golden brown.

Transfer cookies to a rolling pin with a metal or heat proof silicone spatula and curve them around the pin. If cookies become brittle, return to the oven for just a minute or two.  Allow to cool completely on rolling pin.

Cookies may be made up to a day in advance and stored in an airtight container.

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

I’m not a fan of the flavor of these guys, so I’ll probably opt for just about anything byut almond extract if I make them again.  My wife loves them, however.

My co-conspirators:

• Kelly of Sass & Veracity
• Judy of No Fear Entertaining
• Claire of the Barefoot Kitchen
• Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
• Courtney of CoCo Cooks
• And Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes, who first thought of inviting us in on this little blog party.

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