Travis House Cookies

Five ingredients. That’s it. And they make one of the most elegant little cookies you’ll ever pull from your oven.

A stiff beaten egg white gets folded with brown sugar, a whisper of flour, a pinch of salt, and a generous cup of chopped pecans. Dropped by the teaspoonful onto a buttered sheet, they bake into thin, lacy, caramelized wafers with a satisfying snap.

These are old Williamsburg-style tea cookies, the kind you’d find at a proper Southern afternoon tea alongside finger sandwiches and fresh flowers.

Don’t let the simplicity fool you. That brown sugar caramelizes with the pecans into something that tastes far more sophisticated than five humble ingredients have any right to be.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the egg white until truly stiff before adding the sugar. Soft peaks won’t give you the right texture
• Space them far apart on the baking sheet. They spread significantly as they bake
• Let them cool on the sheet for a minute or two before removing. Too hot and they’ll tear; too cool and they’ll stick
• Store in a single layer in an airtight tin. Stacking them will cause them to stick together