Have a couple of leftover egg whites? These French Tuile cookies (pronounced 'tweel') are made in just 30 minutes. Deliciously crispy on their own or with chocolate mousse, ice creams and sorbets.
What's more, the recipe for tuiles doesn't need baking moulds. Normally made with almonds, these are also good with sesame seeds.
Tuiles - What are They Made of?
I'm calling them tuile cookies, as that's what many people call them in the USA, but in France we simply call them Tuiles. Traditionally, tuiles are made of egg whites, butter, sugar, flower and almonds.
Almond Tuiles
I experimented using the basic Almond Tuiles recipe in my book, Teatime in Paris. Moreover, this recipe is also delicious using sesame seeds! The bonus? They can keep even longer in a biscuit tin - if you can resist the temptation.
What is a Tuile in Cooking Terms?
A Tuile, literally translated from French, means a roof tile because of their curved shape just like a tile. They are curved into their classic shape straight out of the oven - forming as they cool over a bottle, jam jar, sieve, or between the grooves of a cooling rack.
Incidentally, did you know that the Tuileries Gardens in Paris are so named as the gardens were designed where a tile factory was previously?
Sesame Seeds - Healthy & High in Calcium
Why Sesame Tuiles? Well, for the last 4 months, I've had trouble balancing calcium levels following the removal of my thyroid - and especially parathyroid glands. Even if you don't have thyroid issues, we need calcium in our diet for healthy bones.
Sesame seeds are naturally high in calcium, so I've been sprinkling them on more or less everything: on breakfast oat granola, on my favourite goat's cheese salade de chevre chaud, soups like corn chowder and grilled Béarnaise chicken. It has worked! What's more, sesame seeds are also a naturally high source of iron.
So I replaced the almonds with sesame seeds in my favourite, easy-and-fast-to-make Tuiles. They're not as sweet as the classic French almond tuiles.
Recipe for Using up 2 Egg Whites
Whether you need more calcium or not in your diet, I urge you to try them: you'll discover that Crispy Sesame Tuiles are also rather compulsive eating. What's more - you need only two egg whites!
You may also like to vary the pleasure and add a touch of orange, lemon or lime zest to the batter.
What is the Purpose of a Tuile?
These tuile cookies are meant to be eaten on their own with a cup of tea or coffee for teatime. However, they are also delicious served with many desserts - their purpose to scoop up ice creams and mousses.
Here are some ideas to serve with some of our favourite desserts:
- Ice-creams or this rhubarb rose sorbet: what about with this no-churn Drambuie ice cream?;
- French chocolate mousse;
- 100% chocolate mousse;
- A red fruit summer gratin;
- Strawberry and rhubarb oat crumbles with white chocolate mousse;
- Almond milk rice pudding;
- Milk chocolate crème brûlée (the classic recipe in my book, Mad About Macarons, leftover yolks chapter)
In the recipe I have used white sesame seeds but try black sesame too. What about serving sesame tuiles with this Black Sesame ice cream, inspired by our gourmet visit to Japan.
How do you Make French Tuiles?
Here's how to make French tuile cookies - the recipe is so simple, as you can see in the below video.
- First weigh out the egg whites, melt the butter and mix all the ingredients together.
- 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.
- As soon as they're out of the oven, loosen with a knife and immediately shape them either on a rounded bowl, bottle, jam jar, rolling pin or sieve.
- Alternatively hook either end of each tuile into the grooves of a cooling rack. As you can see, there's no need for any special moulds - just find whatever is easiest to use in your kitchen.
How Long Can Tuile Cookies Keep?
They can keep for up to 2-3 days if sealed in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminium foil. Otherwise best eaten on the day of baking.
How to Make French Tuile Cookies on Video
Tuile Cookies
Ingredients
- 70 g (2.5oz) Egg whites from approx. 2 eggs
- 65 g (2.25oz) sugar (or superfine/caster sugar)
- 65 g (2.25oz) butter melted
- 35 g (1.25oz) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 65 g (2.25oz) sesame seeds
- pinch salt (fleur de sel)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/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.
Notes
This recipe was first published 12 August 2019 but is now completely updated with new images and includes a video.
Have you made this recipe either here or from my book?
Please leave a rated review below. It means the world. Thank you.
Love French cookies? Then make Palets Bretons, the salted butter cookies from Brittany with the leftover egg yolks!
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 ;((