Cookie Cups with Lemon Thyme-Scented B..

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Coat parchment with cooking spray.

2. To prepare cookie cups: Whisk flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Whisk egg whites, sugar, butter, oil and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients and whisk until blended.

3. For each cookie cup, spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons batter onto a prepared baking sheet, allowing 2 cookies per baking sheet. With an offset metal spatula, spread each mound of batter into a 5 1/2- to 6-inch circle.

4. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until golden brown around the edges, 8 to 12 minutes. Have ready two 12-ounce custard cups (or similar bowls with a 3-inch base). As soon as the cookies are done, loosen from parchment with a wide metal spatula, then set inside the cups. Gently press each cookie into the bottom of the cup and pleat the sides to form a tulip shape. (If cookies become too brittle to shape, return them to the oven for a minute or two to soften.)

5. To prepare compote: Place lemon thyme in a mortar or small bowl; bruise with a pestle or wooden spoon to release its fragrance. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup berries and mash with a fork. Add creme de cassis (or black currant syrup), lemon juice and sugar, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add remaining berries and stir gently to coat with sauce.

6. To assemble desserts: Place cookie cups on individual plates. Fill each with a scoop of ice cream (or sorbet), spoon on compote and garnish with lemon thyme sprigs.

The cookies are pliable only while hot, so work quickly. Have a wide metal spatula and two 12-ounce custard cups (or similar bowls) ready before baking.