Paciencia Cookies

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line two flat trays with baking paper. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Prepare a piping bag with a plain 1 cm opening; a sturdy food bag with a corner snipped off also works.
2. Put egg whites in a clean dry grease-free bowl. Whisk until foamy, then add sugar gradually while continuing to whisk. Beat to glossy firm peaks that stand but do not look dry or broken. Rub a little between fingers to check most sugar has dissolved.
3. Fold in vanilla, then sift the flour mixture over in two additions and fold gently. Stop once no dry streaks remain. The small flour amount stabilises these cookies; do not mix in extra flour until the mixture resembles ordinary biscuit dough.
4. Pipe small mounds about 2.5 cm across, spacing them 3 cm apart. Keep them similar in size for even baking. Flatten sharp tips with a barely damp fingertip so they do not burn before the rest of the cookie.
5. Bake one tray at a time for 12–18 minutes until lightly golden and the surface is set. Check early because small cookies colour quickly. A cooled test cookie should be crisp through the middle; if chewy, return the tray to a low 120°C oven for 5–10 minutes to dry further.
6. Cool completely on the tray, then lift gently from the paper. Do not seal warm cookies in a jar: trapped steam makes them sticky. Prepare the second tray close to baking so the uncooked meringue does not stand for an extended period.
7. Store fully crisp cookies airtight in a cool dry place and aim to eat within 3 days for best texture, or freeze airtight. In very humid weather they soften quickly. Refresh a small portion briefly in a low oven and cool before serving.