Francesca (Franki) Zani is the assistant food editor for Delish, where she develops recipes, writes, styles recipes & TikToks, and hosts on-camera recipe videos. Her education at the CIA and experience as a producer/culinary producer for PowerHouse Productions have allowed her to travel the globe. She loves collecting ceramic props, sipping tea lattes, and adventuring to highly rated food spots when she’s not collaborating with the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance. She’s often referred to as “Pasta Zani” due to her undying obsession for all things pasta (you need to try testaroli)!
These dainty cylindrical cookies might trigger nostalgia. Perhaps you munched on the vanilla- or chocolate-filled wafers at midnight when nothing else suited your needs. The cookies are delicate and crisp, a vessel for hazelnut cream, chocolate, whipped cream, or whatever you want to fill them with. And whatever you do decide, you will just love them.
What’s in a pirouette?
Oftentimes you’ll see this cookie batter made with powdered sugar and egg whites. I preferred to make mine with granulated sugar, a whole egg, and an additional egg white. This resulted in a buttery tender cookie with a good snap to it.
What cookies are similar to pirouettes?
The Spanish barquillos are very similar to pirouettes and were later popularized in the Philippines and Latin America. The Italian pizzelle—cookie batter made in a pizzelle iron—is a close relative but created into a disc and often flavored with anise. The krumkake is a Norwegian cookie is similar to a pizzelle but shaped into a cone.
How do you form the cookie while it’s hot?
Timing is everything when it comes to the pirouette. Working in batches is crucial because once they come out of the oven, they have to be shaped before they begin to cool, which happens immediately. If you work in batches of 2, 3, or even 4 cookies, it allows you time to roll. Also, don’t do this with bare hands (ouch!); instead, use thick food-safe gloves that will allow you to handle the hot cookie. Use the back of a thin wooden spoon, chopsticks, or even a metal straw to roll the pirouettes. Make sure to use a tool that can create a hollow center.
Have you made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
- Yields:
- 18 - 20
- Prep Time:
- 5 mins
- Total Time:
- 45 mins
Ingredients
- 1/4 c.
(1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 c.
(50 g.) granulated sugar
- 1
(50 g.) large egg, room temperature
- 1
(35 g.) large egg white, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 c.
(60 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp.
Kosher salt
Nutella, for serving (optional)
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 375°. Draw 4 (5") circles on one side of a piece of parchment to use as a guide, then arrange parchment on a sheet tray marked side down.
- Step 2In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and egg white one at a time, beating to blend after each addition and scraping down bowl, until combined. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
- Step 3Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour and salt and beat just until incorporated.
- Step 4Spoon a heaping teaspoon of dough onto parchment. Using an offset spatula, spread into very thin rounds (they should just barely be translucent on parchment) on top of circle guides. Bake until edges start to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Step 5While wearing gloves, quickly roll up cookies with a rounded object, such as a wooden spoon handle or chopstick, into a thin, cylindrical shape. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Step 6Fill a piping bag with Nutella, if using, and cut off a small corner. Gently fill pirouettes with Nutella on each side.