Chinese Crispy Egg Rolls

🧂 Ingredients

• 7 tbsp butter

  (100 g) softened
• 1/4 cup sugar

  (100 g) see note 2
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

  (optional)
• pinch salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

  (~10 g)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

  (~130 g) or cake flour, sifted

Instructions

• 1 Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl.
• 2 Whisk the eggs in a small bowl, then combine them with the creamed butter
  mixture.  Whisk together.
• 3 Add the sesame seeds and the flour and thoroughly combine.  Allow the batter to
  rest for 15 minutes before you start cooking.
• 4 Preheat a griddle or large flat skillet to a medium temperature (see note 3
  below).  If you use a non-stick or very well-seasoned pan you shouldn't need to
  oil the surface, but you can use a little light vegetable oil in the pan if
  necessary.
• 5 Place a tablespoon of batter on the griddle/skillet.  Place a piece of parchment
  paper over the batter and flatten it thoroughly with a large spatula/turner. 
  Work from the center of the batter out to the edges, taking care not to push
  batter back into the middle.  This step may take a bit of practice, but you're
  aiming to get the batter as thin as you can while still keeping it intact.
• 6 Lift the parchment paper from the batter and cook the batter until it is
  uniformly pale whitish-yellow; about 4-5 minutes (see note 4)
  
• 7 Place your dowel/stick/handle at the least attractive end of the cookie. Use a
  spatula or chopsticks to gently lift the edge of the hot cookie (still on the
  griddle/pan) and curl it around the stick.  Once you've tucked the cookie in
  place (with your fingers of steel or heat-resistant gloves), start gently
  rolling the dowel/stick to curl the cookie into a tube.
• 8 Remove the cookie from the pan and carefully slide the stick out.  If you find
  this step difficult, it can help to gently hold the cookie and dowel with an
  oven mitt until it's cool enough to more easily coax out the stick.
• 9 Transfer the finished cookie to the baking tray in the oven (see drying steps
  below)
• 10 Preheat an oven to 175°F (80°C).
• 11 Place a heavy baking tray in the middle rack of the oven.
• 12 As the cookies are finished, gently transfer them to the pan in the oven, one at
  a time.  Let them bake/dry at this low temperature until completely dry and
  crispy - about 60-90 minutes, depending on how thin you were able to get them. 
  Be aware that the finished cookies will be delicate.
• 13 Allow the finished cookies to cool for a few minutes, then transfer them to an
  air-tight container or bag.  They will absorb moisture from the air and become
  softer if left out for more than 30 minutes or so.
  
  Finished cookies will keep in the container for 5-7 days at room temperature.

Nutrition Info