Remember when smoking was allowed on airplanes and in hospitals? Remember candy cigarettes? Turns out those weren’t the only sugary way to imitate smoking. While culling the Kirschner Collection for recipes to hand out during orientation week, I found a 1976 recipe for “Cookie Cigarettes.” These aren’t making it into the orientation packet, but I’m sharing here for posterity.

Warning: rich chocolate filling can be addictive.

Cookie Cigarettes

Ingredients

1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup sifted flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rich Chocolate Filling

1 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. Beat egg whites until frothy; add confectioners’ sugar gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition; beat until stiff peaks are formed.
2. Fold in flour in halves. Blend in cooled butter and extract.
3. Quickly grease a preheated cookie sheet. Bake a trial cookie; if it is too brittle to roll, add a little more cooled melted butter.
4. Drop mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls 4 inches apart onto hot cookie sheet; spread very thinly without making holes; bake only a few cookies at one time (they are difficult to roll when cool).
5. Bake at 400°F 2 to 3 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
6. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Quickly roll each cookie around a pencil-thin wooden rod; place on wire rack. Remove rods when cooled.
7. Store in a tightly covered container.
8. Shortly before serving, using a pastry bag and decorating tube, fill cookies from both ends with Rich Chocolate Filling.
9. Dip in chopped pistachio nuts or chocolate shot.

Rich Chocolate Filling

Heat chocolate, sugar, water, and salt over boiling water, stirring until mixture is smooth.
Blend egg yolks into mixture in double-boiler top and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in extract; set aside to cool.
Cream butter; add confectioners’ sugar gradually, beating until fluffy.
Add chocolate mixture gradually, beating well; cover and chill.
Before using, beat filling with a spoon to soften slightly.

Notes

For these interesting delicacies (of French derivation), both cookies and filling may be prepared ahead and the cookies filled shortly before serving

By The Cookie Jar: Cookies From Around the World by Culinary Arts Institute (1976)