Friday, January 30, 2015

Croquants



Per Nana ~
When I started mixing the ingredients for these cookies I had my
 doubts that they would hold. Blending the egg whites with the sugar/
nut combination was difficult enough, but adding the bit of flour 
called for, I was sure I would need another egg white. But, as Dorie
 mentioned, this is not the cookie dough that you typically expect. 
I think my interpretation of a teaspoon is a lot different than Dorie's 
because the yield was only 2 dozen cookies. That said, we really didn't 
need more since we are still working on the "weekend cake" from 
"Baking Chez Moi". At this rate how I am ever going to get through Lent ?
 The cookies came out fantastic, so tasty and delicious, and considering the 
amount of sugar- they were not too sweet. This is a great way to use up
 extra egg whites and any nuts hanging around in the fridge or freezer. 

Per Tricia ~
I am not sure how I missed this treat in my visits to France, or more likely 
I did see them and had no idea what they were. It was a delight to learn of 
them this week via AMFT.  I especially enjoyed thinking of the famous ice
 cream shop, Berthillon, creating these from all of the left over egg whites. 
I teased Nana that I would have loved a cross reference in the index
 of "Around My French Table" which indicated which recipes used 
only a yolk, and which only egg whites. I am not organized enough
 to recall whenI am looking at extras but I think I will at least
 remember a new trick for making amazing use of the whites. 
These were interesting in every way and I was appreciative of Dorie's 
comments regarding how unusual the cookie batter would look. 
Because it definitely was not your standard concoction.
 I decided to use walnuts mainly because I had a huge bag left over 
from the holidays. My husband's first remark was that he was 
surprised they were not more sweet and didn't have a stronger 
flavor. Which is a good thing, in his book. Considering the
 amount of sugar involved, his comment surprised me. 
The texture and taste was very nice and elevated a few leftover egg 
whites and nuts to something quite special. Those are my favorite recipes. 
I will very likely make these again as a special treat for the family but they 
are also quite company worthy. Especially if that company is already 
getting creme brûlée which used up my egg yolks......

14 comments:

  1. Glad you both enjoyed these cookies. I need to recruit some more nut lover friends---or else add a little chocolate :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh, loved that you used walnuts. And that ice cream looks tasty, too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These were fun to make but I agree - Dorie's "teaspoon" seems to be much larger than an actual teaspoon measure (which I used). I made 1/2 quantity (of course) and it made something like 25 cookies, not 17... I liked the versatility of these - how you could switch up the nuts (add chocolate!) and maybe even add some dried fruit!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I didn't get anywhere close to the amount Dorie said I would. They were so, so good, though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nana: I chuckled at the Lent comment. It's true, it's true. There's no way what with all the baking in this group! Eh, at least Ash Wednesday is after a holiday weekend. :) Glad you liked the cookies!
    Tricia: glad you also liked the cookies. I love these kinds of recipes as well and have made them often because they're so easy and different.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It would be a good cross reference but I think the French wisely use the whites primarily. You might want to have a Spanish or Portuguese cookbook on hand to have use up the yolks. I had a dessert in Portugal that was basically egg yolks and sugar...not my favorite, but at least you aren't wasting anything.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're right about this being a great way to use up egg whites. I've been scratching my head trying to think up a way to use the two egg yolks. Someone should write a that cross-reference to pair up the ideas. Nana, I loved the way you bagged up the extra cookies. Tricia, you are right that it's surprising these don't taste sweeter since sugar is the primary ingredient in the batter. Hope you stay warm this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nana, these groups aren't very Lent-friendly, at all, are they? I love the way you packaged your cookies - so pretty! And Tricia, I'm with you on the indexes, it would be so helpful. Your cookies turned out beautifully, too. I love all the variation in the results people got this week, depending on what nuts they used and how many.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ladies, Both of your croquants look lovely! I love how pretty they look along side the dish of ice cream! And Tricia your the second person to suggest an egg white/yolk index! Such a good idea…I think someone should take note! Happy Weekend, to you both!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This was definitely a great way to use up those egg whites! Your cookies look perfect! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. These were delish, weren't they. Nana, I had the same doubts when I added the flour, but in the end, they came together beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It was nice to use ingredients on hand. I do put a lot of baked goods in the freezer otherwise I would eat them all:) Tricia I love your idea of cross referencing for yolks vs whites.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I definitely had my doubts about these cookies - I am glad they worked out (and were eaten rather quickly).

    ReplyDelete
  14. We loved these and I'm glad they were a hit at both of your houses too! As a bonus, the recipe halves quite easily! Tricia, I agree cross referencing recipes using egg whites and egg yolks would be a great idea.

    ReplyDelete