Just Another Day: 2/14/10

I have always desired to learn how to make these light, crisp, and tender cookies. It was much easier than I expected and I will never buy them again. The recipe for the cookies is addapted from the ‘Julia Child French Chef Cookbook’ under the name
Biscuits A La Cuiller.

Preheat oven to 300 F. Makes 24 cookies

1-1/3 Cups powdered sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs seperated
Pinch of salt
1/8 Teaspoon Bakewell Cream or cream of tartar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2/3 Cup cake flour (sift directly into cup, level off with a knife)
3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Almond extract

Prepare 2 half-sheet baking sheets (18x24) or 4 quarter-sheet baking sheets by lining with parchment and either lightly buttering or spraying with non-stick spray then sprinkling lightly with powdered sugar. Assemble pastry bag with 3/8 inch round opening, place the powdered sugar in a fine sieve, and measure out the other ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks, add the vanilla and almond, and continue beating for several minutes until mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms the ribbon.

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites until foaming, beat in the salt and Bakewell Cream, and continue beating until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

Scoop one fourth of the egg whites over the top of the egg yolks and sugar, sift on one forth of the flour, and delicately fold until partially blended. Then add one third of the remaining egg whites; sift on one third of the remaining flour, fold until partially blended again. Repeat with half, and then with the last of each. Do not attemp to blend to thoroughly; the batter must remain light and puffy.

Fill the pastry bag; make even lines of batter 4 inches long, 1-1/2 inches wide, spaced 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle with a 1/16 inch layer of powdered sugar. Bake immediately in middle and upper-third levels of oven for 20-25 minutes. Ladyfingers are done when a very pale brown underneath the sugar coating. They should be slightly crusty outside, tender but dry inside. Remove from baking sheets with a spatula; cool on cake racks.