Just a few of these striped showstoppers make a festive and memorable holiday gift; be sure to package them carefully, as they are very fragile. Bake the cookies two or three at a time, then roll them as they come out of the oven, while they’re still pliable.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 1/2 dozen

　　8 large egg whites

　　2 cups sugar

　　2 cups all-purpose flour

　　Pinch of coarse salt

　　10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

　　1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

　　1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

　　Red gel-paste food coloring

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until foamy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt; mix until just combined. Add butter, cream, and vanilla, and beat until combined.

　　

Step 2

Transfer 1 cup batter to a bowl (set remaining batter aside). Stir in red coloring until desired color is reached. Transfer tinted batter to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #2). Secure end of pastry bag with rubber band. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

Put a 3 by 6-inch rectangle stencil on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat). Spoon a heaping tablespoon of plain batter into the rectangle, and spread with a small offset spatula. Repeat with stencil and more batter. Pipe evenly spaced diagonal tinted stripes onto each rectangle. Bake until pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Immediately loosen edges with a spatula, and flip cookie over. Starting from one long side, roll cookie into a thin cylinder. Place seam side down on a clean work surface; let cool until set. Quickly repeat with second cookie. Repeat process, tinting and baking two or three cookies at a time. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

　　

How to Form Cookie Sticks

Step 5

1. Cut a 3 by 6-inch rectangle from card-board as a template. Position template on baking sheet, and spoon on a tablespoon of batter. Spread it to fill template with an offset spatula.

　　

Step 6

2. Pipe evenly spaced diagonal stripes over batter. Repeat a second time on same baking sheet.

　　

Step 7

3. Bake flat, and roll cookies while they’re still warm, then set aside to cool.

　　Martha Stewart's Cookies