Best Nut Cookies

A drop or piped sponge cookie with no butter and no leavening: the whole structure comes from eggs beaten with sugar. The original leans on a neighbouring cake recipe for method and gives no oven detail, so both need filling in.

• The hinge: beat the eggs long enoughWith no fat and no baking powder, the only lift is air. Beat whole eggs and sugar until pale, thick and ribboning off the whisk, roughly 6-8 minutes with a stand mixer, then fold in the sifted flour, salt, nuts and vanilla by hand so the foam survives.
• "Put together like Superior Nut Cake"The cross-referenced recipe is not on this page, but the ingredient list points to the usual sponge sequence: eggs and sugar whipped to a foam, dry ingredients folded in last. Some versions of the method separate the eggs, beating the whites to soft peaks and folding them in at the end, which gives a lighter cookie.
• OvenThe original gives no oven detail. A moderate oven, about 350F, suits it: piped or spooned mounds of this size should take roughly 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just coloured and the tops spring back. A minute or two too long and a fat-free batter turns dry and brittle.
• Pastry flourPastry flour is softer and lower in protein than all-purpose, sitting between all-purpose and cake flour. To approximate it, measure 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, remove 2 to 3 tablespoons and replace them with cornstarch; the larger amount lands nearer cake flour.
• Oiled and floured panUncoated sheets needed greasing and flouring, as here, or a greased paper lining. Parchment paper does the job better and prevents the thin bottoms from over-browning.
• PipingThe batter should be thick enough to hold a shape but will spread. Use a plain 1/2-inch tip and pipe rounds or short fingers about 1 1/2 inches apart. A spoon gives a rougher, more domed cookie.
• NutsChop the walnuts fine. Large pieces tear the foam during folding and make piping difficult; a fine chop also keeps the crumb even.
• YieldAbout 3 to 3 1/2 dozen small cookies. They keep crisp in a tin but soften quickly in humid air.