Easy recipe for Tuiles, thin and crispy French almond cookies made in just 30 minutes. Delicious on their own, serve as petits-fours after dinner or with chocolate mousse, ice creams and sorbets.
Tuiles cookies don't need any special baking moulds. Traditionally made with almonds, try them with also with sesame seeds. They're so good, they'll make you want to keep the egg whites aside!
Your recipe is great! Love how they're crispy and sweet vs salty. We're looking forward to having the rest tomorrow as the other half is in the tin. The recipe is a keeper! - Sarah
Why are they Called Tuiles?
Tuiles, literally translated from French, are roof tiles because of their curved shape, just like a tile. They are curved into their classic shape hot, straight out of the oven and their curve forms quickly as they cool over a rolling pin, bottle, jam jar, sieve, or between the grooves of a pastry rack.
I'm calling them tuiles cookies, as that's what many people call them in the USA. In France we simply call them Tuiles (pronounced 'tweal').
Tuileries Gardens in Paris and Tiles ('Tuiles')
Did you know that the oldest jardins in Paris, the Tuileries Gardens were so named, Tuile-ries, as the Parisian gardens were originally built in 1564 on a previous tile factory? Read more in my Tuileries Gardens article.
Speaking of tiles, the cookies have a curved tile shape like those on the roofs of the traditional houses in the Ardèche, l'Avéyron and Provence in France.
What are Tuiles Made Of?
Classic French tuiles are made of egg whites, butter, sugar, almond flakes and a little flour.
Sometimes other variants can be added such as vanilla, orange, lemon or lime zest or cocoa to the batter. After trying them 'plain', I'm sure you'll agree these almond cookies don't need anything else.
Recipe for 2 Egg Whites - and 2 Leftover Yolks
As this recipe needs 2 egg whites, I recommend fist using the yolks. So make any of these recipes with 2 egg yolks and save the whites in a sealed jam jar in the fridge for later.
Alternatively, freeze the whites to make more egg white recipes. Just defrost thoroughly before making the tuiles.
Love classic French cookies? Then make Palets Bretons, salted butter cookies from Brittany with the leftover 2 egg yolks.
Recipe for Tuiles
Making French tuiles is both quick and easy, with only 10 minutes baking.
First weigh out the egg whites from 2 organic eggs to ensure it's 70g (2.5oz). Weigh and melt the butter and mix all the ingredients together.
I sometimes add a little orange zest - delicious during the holiday season.
Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes to thicken the batter slightly, making it easy to spoon and spread out with the back of the spoon.
Ensure each are well spaced apart, as they will spread out during baking.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until they're golden with brown around the edges.
I experimented using my Tuiles aux Amandes recipe in my cookbook, Teatime in Paris using sesame seeds! They can keep even longer in a biscuit tin - if you can resist the temptation.
How to Shape Tuiles into a Tile Shape - No Moulds!
As soon as they're out of the oven, loosen with a knife and shape them immediately, while still hot.
There's no need for any fancy moulds; just use whatever is easiest in your kitchen.
Either use a rounded bowl, bottle, jam jar, rolling pin or sieve. Alternatively, hook each end and curve them in the grooves of a cooking rack.
They also taste just as good flat, cooled straight from the baking tray. Many Parisian pâtisseries sell them flat, probably as it's easier to sell more in less space!
What Happens if they Cool Too Quickly?
Tuiles cookies cool quickly so work fast and handle with care. If you shape them when cool, they will break so if this happens, either leave them flat or return to the oven for another couple of minutes.
How to Serve Tuiles Cookies
Tuile almond cookies are enjoyed on their own with a cup of tea or coffee for French 'goûter' (teatime). They're also so versatile, served as small petits-fours (mini biscuits/cakes like financiers) served with infusions or coffee at the end of dinner.
They are extra delicious served to accompany many desserts, as their curved shape is ideal to scoop up mousses and ice creams. Some ideas to serve:
- Mousse recipes: chocolate mousse without cream, Chapon's 100% chocolate mousse, chocolate passion mousse, and white chocolate mousse with orange blossom
- Ice creams: rhubarb rose sorbet, black sesame ice cream, pistachio ice cream, chestnut ice cream
- lemon posset
- berry gratin
- poached prunes in mulled wine.
Storage - How To Keep Them Crispy
The longer you keep tuiles, the less crispy they keep, especially almond tuiles. Sesame tuiles do last a little longer. They can be stored for up to 2 days if sealed in an airtight container (even better with a silicone gel sachet) or wrapped in aluminium foil.
It's best to eat them on the day as they stay crispy. If you don't plan to eat the whole batch, make them in smaller quantities. Keep the batter covered in the fridge for 2-3 days and you have a quick teatime treat or dessert accompaniment in a jiffy!
Tuiles Cookies
Equipment
- silicone mat or baking parchment
- digital kitchen scales
Ingredients
- 70 g (2½oz) egg whites from approx. 2 eggs
- 70 g (2½oz/ ⅓ cup) sugar (or superfine/caster sugar)
- 70 g (2½oz/ ⅓ cup) butter melted
- 35 g (1¼oz/ ¼ cup) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 70 g (2.5oz/ ¾ cup) flaked almonds or sesame seeds
- pinch salt (fleur de sel)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F (170°C fan/gas 5).
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together with a spoon until well combined.
- Leave to chill in the fridge for 10 minutes - this will make your batter easy to spread out thinly on the baking sheet.
- Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper or a silicone mat and spoon the mixture into oval discs - using the back of a spoon - to about 6cm (2.5") in diameter. Space them apart, as they will spread out during baking.
- Bake in separate batches* (one tray at a time) for about 10 minutes - keep your eye on them as of 8 minutes, as they cook fast. They should be toasted around the edges and cooked but golden in the middle.
- Straight from the oven, transfer each flat tuile (using a palet knife or pie slice) to a rolling pin (jam jar, sieve, bottle) to shape them to their tuile (roof-tile) shape. They cool and shape quickly. Otherwise slightly fold the ends into a wire rack to cool and shape.
Video
Notes
This recipe adaptation with sesame was posted 12 August 2019, but is now compeltely updated with the original recipe from my cookbook, Teatime in Paris (2015).
Sylvie
I may or may not have made these drunk (tipsy?) and they came out amazing. So if that's not proof that they're not too difficult, I don't quite know what is
Jill Colonna
You made me giggle so much, Sylvie! What can I say? Yep - the recipe works!
Julie Colonna
Made these using the "freee" free from Gluten Flour (available in Sainsburys and Waitrose, amongst others) and it also works just the same! I may be biased but this seems like an infallible reason to try making them. They were actually more crispy with the gluten free flour?
Jill Colonna
Thanks so much for sharing that, Julie - great to know they're good with that kind of gluten flour too! Bonus x
Hulihuli
Hi, I made the black sesame ice cream with black sesame powder and folded in small blobs of black sesame paste that I’d had from making the ice cream previously with another recipe. I like the ease and modest price of using the powder instead. I’d seen the powder at my local Asian store and grabbed it right up, knowing I’d use it for ice cream. I used 1 c milk and 2 c half-and-half instead of the cream, and was glad to use leftover yolks from making macarons! Have you ever tried making black sesame macarons?
I was excited to make the Tuiles as a garnish, and they taste great, BUT even though I formed them into neat ovals onto parchment, they spread into freeform shapes while baking. I want to know what went wrong. I measured everything carefully in grams and did 1/2 the recipe. I stirred the mixture until well mixed. They held their shape on the paper before baking. Does the silpat prevent the spreading? I want to make beautiful ovals like yours!
Jill Colonna
For the tuiles, did you ensure that you left the batter to rest in the fridge? This step is crucial for it to thicken to the right consistency, otherwise it will be too runny to shape. Have you seen the video? Hopefully that will help.
Thanks for popping in - so happy you have enjoyed making black sesame ice cream too. I have been meaning to make black sesame macarons but have just not got around to it yet! Enjoy x
Thomas
These are so delicious and so original ; All I can say is that we were very impressed to enjoy them made by you recently - thank you Jill for another super recipe. Great memories to be together. You're very talented.
Jill Colonna
Thanks so much, Thomas. The biggest pleasure is to enjoy these together. Take good care of yourselves!
Thomasina
I didn't know you could get black sesame seeds Jill. This looks a fairly quick recipe that even I could manage. Love the photos too.
Jill Colonna
Thanks - they're so good, Thomasina. Yes - you must try this black sesame ice cream - inspired by our trip to Japan!
Carol gillott
Oh idiot moi...read the post After commenting...have you tried gomazo (combo Japanes sesame seasoning but not for cookies!) So yummy. Glad to hear the seeds are helping. I'm sure I could use some extra calcium too.
Jill Colonna
I have indeed tried it and agree it's good, Carol. Yes, we should be keeping up calcium intakes and if we can do it deliciously like this, all so much the better! I'm just back from holidays and look forward to making more of these - especially as they're so quick and easy.
Sarah
Hi Jill,
Your recipe is great! I made 4 trays of them and although the first batch were a bit well fired the rest were perfect. Love how they're crispy and sweet vs salty. We're looking forward to having the rest tomorrow as the other half is in the tin. The recipe is a keeper!
As for the thyroid, I'm sorry to hear you've been going through this (saw your post on FB). My sister went through a thyroidectomy 2 years ago and she's only coming out of being tired now. I do hope you're managing ok and they get the right dosage soon. At least you haven't lost your sense of humor. Enjoy your daily posts that make me smile. Thanks for sharing x
Jill Colonna
Thanks so much, Sarah. Thrilled you like them - we still had some leftovers and discovered that they keep in the tin even 3 days. Must be the sesame seeds that do that. Also appreciate your kind words - I do hope your sister is back to her normal self and that it's all behind her. I'm hoping that happens soon too. Thanks for joining me on Facebook!
Christina Conte
And they look absolutely gorgeous, too, Jill! You're a genius! I'm so happy that your calcium level is getting back to where it is supposed to be, and that you are being creative in getting it into your system! Yay! Happy to hear the news and will have to try these beauties! 🙂
Jill Colonna
Thanks, Christina. It's a real relief, as constant pins and needles in hands and feet (even face at first!) can get pretty annoying but so lucky it has evened out. I love the sesame seeds so much on things now, it's turning into a habit!
Christina Conte
Even better!! 🙂
Carol gillott
They sound divine and I do Love sesame seeds...but eclat d'amonds are possible too or a different process?. So often they are too sugary in the patisseries... not that they would make ot to the oven if I ever dared to make them...probably eat the batter raw ;((