Special Pastry/Cookie related question...

[Kayaksoup]

Okay, my question is a little out here, but here goes. I want to make a thin, crispy cookie that is malleable when it first comes out of the oven. I want the main flavour elements to be honey and ginger. My first attempt was a total flop, and I am not quite sure what I am even searching for. So if anyone has ideas or suggestions, I am all eyes...

[Gecko]

Do you mean like a brandy snap? Except of course with honey and ginger flavors :)

[CompassRose]

Or a tuile cookie. (http://www.kqed.org/w/jacquespepin/autumnrecipe3.html)

Honey tuile
(recipe from rockresorts.com; as you can see, this one is meant for baskets)
¾ cup unsalted butter
3/8 cup honey
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ confectioners sugar
3 egg whites
Cream the room temp butter, blend in the honey and add the flour and sugar. Beat until smooth and chill.
Make the baskets.
Make a template to create the base of the basket. Cut out a shape that measures about 2" by 12'. Spread the tuile batter thinly into this shape and repeat 8 times. Bake on a silpat mat at 300' until lightly golden. Remove from oven and wrap around a rolling pin or
other round shape so that the ends overlap slightly and seal. When cool they will be set hard. Remove from form and set aside. Make the handles; again, using a template, make 8 strips about 1/2" by 12". (Make a few more in case of breakages) When they come out of the oven, hang them over the rolling pin (holding it in the air so that they have space to hang) so that the strips hang down and the ends are even with one another. When set, carefully remove and set aside.

Another
honey tuile

1 1/2 ounces butter, softened
1 ounce honey
2 ounces all-purpose flour
1 1/2 ounces confectioner's sugar
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl, add butter and honey, whisking until smooth. Sift flour and sugar together; add to butter mixture, mixing to combine. Add egg white, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Spread batter thinly over a stencil on a Silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake until golden brown and set aside to cool. (yield: 24 small tuiles)
(source- article, Art Culinaire: Chocolate-covered Courses (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAW/is_74/ai_n6227906/pg_3))

[Beth]

I'd work with what Compass ROse posted and go from there -- easy to add the ginger (maybe finely chopped crystalized ginger and a bit of powdered?). The main trick is probably gettnig the mix right so that the honey doesn't make it too soft after it cools.

[mrswaz]

Here is another resipe you could work with. Maybe you could also try a fortune cookie type of recipe? The tricky part to me would be playing with the honey. Of course, with this cigarette cookie you could make the cookie itself ginger flavored, and then make some kind of honey cream to fill it with, of course, then you wouldn't want to roll them so thin, but I'm sure you get the idea.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Cigarette Cookies

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 30 Preparation Time :0:20
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 stick unsalted butter -- (2 ounces) softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs -- whites only
5 tablespoons cake flour -- sifted
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl with a whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg whites and beat for 5 to 10 seconds, or until it is smooth but not frothy. Add the flour and fold it in gently. Drop level teaspoons of the batter 4 inches apart onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. With a small offset metal spatula spread them carefully into 4 by 2-inch ovals.

Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the preheated oven until golden brown on the edges, about 7 to 8 minutes. Loosen the cookies from the sheet with a metal spatula, and, working quickly roll each cookie lengthwise around the handle of a chopstick to form a thin cylinder, transferring them as they are rolled onto a rack to cool. If the cookies become too hard to roll, return them to a 200 degree F oven for a few minutes to soften.

In a small bowl melt 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave, stirring often. Dip 1 end of each cookie into the chocolate and transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.


Source:
"Sara's Secrets"
Copyright:
"Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 44 Calories; 2g Fat (47.4% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 4mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.



:D

[Kayaksoup]

Thank you guys, I think the tuilles are about right. I was thinking brandy snaps too, but I'll try the tuilles first. Ahh, procrastination. Notice I am not studying pastry, but I feel it necessary to develop a dessert instead of studying...

[Beth]

Practicing ahead, right? ;) I didn't even have that excuse when I was in school. Just total diversion.

[Kayaksoup]

Success!! Thank you for the recipe CR, I messed with it a bit, but it was the starting point for me.
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/151/3808/320/IMG_1328.jpg

Honey tuile
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cups flour
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Cream the room temp butter, blend in the honey and add the flour, ginger and sugar. Beat until smooth and chill.

Make a template of your desired shape. Spread the tuile batter thinly into this shape and repeat as many times as you can. Bake on a silpat mat at 300' until lightly golden, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and wrap around a rolling pin or other round shape so that the ends overlap slightly and seal. When cool they will be set hard. Remove from form and set aside.