Skip to main content

Cigarettes Russes

These cookies are soft and pliable when they first come out of the oven. You have to prepare these delicate wafers one sheet at a time so that you can quickly roll them around a dowel while they are still warm. Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts aren’t perfect—just keep going and you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Finely chopped toasted almonds, for rolling (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Add butter, egg whites, cream, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

    Step 2

    Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats (such as Silpats).

    Step 3

    Make four cookies at once: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, spread batter into a very thin 6 by 3 1/2-inch oval. Repeat, making two more ovals of batter on the sheet. Bake just until brown around edges, about 6 minutes.

    Step 4

    When cookies come out of the oven, use a long offset spatula to quickly transfer cookies, one at a time, to a work surface; roll around a chopstick or a thin wooden dowel, forming a cylinder shape; transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Repeat to roll remaining three cookies. If they harden too quickly, return baking sheet to oven for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.

    Step 5

    Put chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir often until smooth. Stir in oil. Let cool slightly. Dip about 2 inches of each cooled cookie into chocolate. Roll dipped edge in chopped nuts, if desired. Transfer to a wire rack, placing dipped section off the edge, to set. Cookies can be stored between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Martha Stewart's Cookies
Read More
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
Like Sri Lankan cashew curry and vegan stuffed shells.
Glossy, intensely chocolaty, and spiked with coffee and sour cream, this Bundt is the ultimate all-purpose dessert.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Use this simple vinaigrette to dress a plate of greens, some steamed potatoes, or anything else that strikes your fancy.