Biscuits Rose | Baking with Dorie

Biscuits rose may not be the apt description for the cookies I’ve made, because I did’t use red dye to color them in the pinkish tone of tea roses. Dorie explains that these pink cookies are legendary. They are made by the Fossier company in France’s Champagne region since the 17th century. (I won’t mind tasting the Biscuits Rose de Reims some day.) They’re like crunchy ladyfingers, according to Dorie. Mine hardly look like ladyfingers by a long stretch, since my piping is all over the place using a tip that’s too wide. Without question, I go rogue with these biscuit rose.

These are delicious cookies, nonetheless. Crunchy, crackly outside and a distinct tender interior unlike that of lady fingers. What I like most is the crispy texture, resulting from leaving the cookies in the oven — with the heat turned off — for an extra half hour.

By and large, these are meringue-based cookies, best served with Champagne, tea or coffee. Here is the process to make the batter. (See the recipe below for details.)

Separately, whip up egg whites and egg yolks. The whites, together with half the amount of sugar, are whisked to a glossy meringue that holds stiff peaks. In another bowl, beat the yolks and the remaining sugar, until pale and thick. With a flexible spatula and a gentle hand, fold the two mixtures together until combined. Finally, fold in the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt) in two additions.

For the correct shaping technique, this is what you do. Pipe the batter into 16 portions about 4-inch long and 1-inch wide. Dust the cookies generously with confectioners’ sugar. Rest and repeat the second round of dusting. The cookies are ready to bake.

Print Recipe

Biscuits Roses

By Dorie Greenspan – Serves: 16 cookies

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup (45 grams) cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• ½ cup (100 grams) sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Red food coloring, optional
• ½ cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

3

Working with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites at medium speed until opaque. Increase the speed to high, and add half the sugar (¼ cup), 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a stiff-peaked, glossy meringue. Transfer to another bowl (if necessary), and put the yolks in the original bowl (no need to wash it). Beat the yolks, the remaining sugar and the vanilla on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping as needed, until pale and thick. Add enough food coloring to tint the batter deep pink, if you’d like.

4

Turn the meringue out over the yolks, and working with a flexible spatula and a gentle hand, fold the 2 mixtures together until almost combined. Fold in half the dry ingredients, and when almost blended, add the rest, and finish incorporating — check the bottom of the bowl for lurking flour. If you’re using parchment paper, use a little of the mixture to “glue” the four corners to the baking sheet.

5

Scrape batter into a piping bag with about a 1-inch opening (no tip needed). Pipe out roughly 4-by-1-inch fingers, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Sift confectioners’ sugar generously over the cookies, leave 5 minutes, then repeat.

6

Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pan, and bake 6 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the door open a crack (I use a wooden spoon) and let the biscuits dry for at least 30 minutes (or for up to 2 hours). Serve now, or store in an airtight container. They’ll hold for 1 week.

Notes

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019176-biscuits-roses