From snacks to pastries....

Petit-beurre, boudoir, cookie cuillère, spéculoos - there's no end to the little cookies we can use to transform them into gourmet recipes. But did you know that they were originally the basis of our cakes, back in the days of pocket decorations, long before the advent of frames, molds and dedicated cookie recipes? Today, whether indolence, the bottom of a drawer, or the ultimate in creativity, snack cookies are still the talk of the dessert world. Family butter cakes, Tiramisù, Charlotte, Moka... but also emblematic creations such as Pierre Hermé's Infiniment Vanille tart, in which spoon cookies have their rightful place. The cookies of our old-fashioned snacks continue to delight us!

Anne Debbasch Published on 9/14/23 at 12:00 AM

Le cookie cuillère by Fabien Rouillard, Paris

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Martin Bourdier

A Charlotte staple, the cookie cuillère is a must-have. Crunched in its simplest form, it can be soft or crunchy, boudoir-style. But in Charlotte, it's the structure of the cake. The soaked boudoirs, standing at attention in the mold, give this timeless cake its hold. Fabien Rouillard's raspberry charlotte is only available in season. "In the heart of the cake, I place a creamy vanilla bavaroise, a raspberry coulis, fresh raspberries and the famous spoon cookies, which I like very soft" A timeless dessert!

76, rue de Seine, Paris 6
w ww.maison-mulot.com

Speculoos by Cyril Lignac and Benoit Couvrand, Paris

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YannDeret

For the opening of their first patisserie in 2011, Cyril Lignac and Benoit Couvrand came up with the Equinoxe, now a signature entremet. On the menu, speculoos cookies are used to prepare the crunchy praline that accompanies a light Bourbon vanilla cream and a caramel heart. This entremets can be enjoyed individually or, for those with a sweet tooth, shared.

2, rue de Chaillot, Paris 16
www.gourmand-croquant.com

Lintzer cookie by Pascal & Julien Lac, Nice

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Maison Lac

Father and son love the Lintzer, the crumbly cinnamon cookie traditionally found on Christmas tables. "We've come up with a plain, unspiced version that forms the basis of a number of our creations, including the Citron, one of our signature desserts. The Lintzer cookie adds a special crumbly, buttery texture that enhances the cake's deliciousness," confides Julien Lac. A good reason to make a detour to Nice.

18, rue Barla, Nice (06)
w ww.patisseries-lac.com

The macaron by Pierre Hermé, Paris

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Stéphane de Bourgies

The pastry chef's favorite playground, macarons also find their place in drinking desserts. "It's a pastry drink where you find something to eat and drink."In this interpretation of Ispahan, the milky drink is complemented by a raspberry sorbet, a letchi sorbet, a few broken macaroons, a smooth rose cream and a disk of cookie macaroon. A recipe to experiment with at home...

Infiniment Macaron book, Ed La Martinière
53-57, rue de Grenelle, Paris 7 www.pierreherme.com

Amaretto dessert, Desty Brami, Ferrière en Brie

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lechocolatdanstousnosetats

Inspired by the bitter almond taste of amaretti, Desty Brami imagined a dessert on a plate, using the famous little cookies as a base. "I made slightly larger amaretti to use as containers. To play up their pronounced taste, I arrange a beautiful ball of creamy chocolate surrounded by citrus supremes - grapefruit and blood orange seasoned with honey and lime - arranged in a corolla. For roundness, the dessert is served with a chocolate cream. How could you not melt...