Pancake Cookies

These aren’t pancakes and they aren’t typical cookies. They’re thin, lacy wafers spread flat on the sheet and baked using only residual oven heat. The technique is old-fashioned and unusual: you preheat the oven, turn it off, then let the cookies bake slowly as the temperature drops.

That cooling-oven method gives you an incredibly delicate, crispy cookie. No blast of direct heat means the edges brown gently and evenly, and the brown sugar caramelizes into a brittle, toffee-like snap.

The batter starts like a standard creamed dough, but the stiffly beaten egg white folded in at the end is what creates the light, airy spread. Dipping each teaspoon of batter in ice water before spreading it thin on the sheet keeps it from sticking to your spatula and helps you get those ultra-thin rounds.

Coating the chopped pecans in a tablespoon of flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom. They stay suspended throughout each cookie, adding toasty crunch to every bite.

Kitchen Tips

• Spread the batter as thin as possible. These are meant to be wafer-thin and lacy, not thick and chewy.
• Grease the cookie sheet well. These stick easily because of the high sugar content.
• Watch closely once they’re in the oven. The line between golden and burnt is razor-thin with cookies this delicate.
• Let them cool completely on the sheet before lifting. They shatter when warm.

Variations

• Roll the warm cookies around a wooden spoon handle to make tuile-style cookie tubes.
• Swap pecans for almonds or hazelnuts for a different nut profile.
• Drizzle cooled cookies with dark chocolate for a dressed-up dessert garnish.