I Thought I Was Baking Cookies… Until I Took a Bite

Yield: 24–25 cookies

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:
• All-purpose flour — 2 2/3 cups (320 g)
• Unsalted butter, cold — 1 1/3 sticks (160 g)
• Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream — 7 tbsp (100 g)
• Egg yolks — 2
• Salt — a pinch

For the meringue filling:
• Egg whites — 2, room temperature
• Granulated sugar — 1/2 cup (100 g) or powdered sugar for a softer, faster-whipping meringue
• Lemon juice — 1 tsp (5 ml)
• Vanilla extract — to taste
• Cornstarch — 1 tbsp (8 g)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Separate the eggs. Keep the yolks for the dough. Cover the egg whites and refrigerate them until needed.

2. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt. Use very cold butter, preferably 82% fat, for the best flaky texture. Coat the butter in flour and grate it on the large holes of a box grater.

3. Mix the yogurt or sour cream with the egg yolks, then add it to the flour and butter mixture. Stir first with a spoon, then gently bring the dough together with your hands. Do not knead for too long — once the dough comes together, stop. Overmixing can make the cookies tough instead of crumbly and tender.

4. Divide the dough in half, roll each piece into a log, and cut into 24–25 pieces, about 20–25 g each. Roll each piece lightly into a ball without warming the dough too much with your hands. Cover and refrigerate for 1–3 hours. This helps the butter firm up again, relaxes the gluten, and makes the dough easier to roll.

5. While the dough chills, bring the egg whites to room temperature. Whip them in a clean, dry, grease-free bowl with the lemon juice. Once light foam appears, gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition on medium to medium-high speed. Do not use maximum speed — the sugar needs time to dissolve. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 10–15 minutes. Gently fold in the cornstarch and vanilla with a spatula. The cornstarch makes the filling soft and soufflé-like.

6. Roll each dough ball into a thin circle, about 5–5 1/2 inches / 13–14 cm wide. Add a small amount of meringue filling to the center — about 1 heaping teaspoon. Do not overfill, because the meringue expands during baking and too much filling may leak out. Shape the cookies as shown in the video.

7. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake immediately in a preheated oven at 320°F / 160°C for 25–30 minutes, until lightly golden. Do not overbake, or the cookies may become dry.

8. Let the cookies cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Store in a dry, airtight container. They stay crisp the next day too — just keep them away from moisture.

#Food #cake