Preparation

• Melt the butter over low heat and let it cool.

  Sift the flour and add the pistachio flour.

  With the electric whisk, work the egg whites with the sifted powdered sugar.

  This operation should be done without whipping the egg whites, so for a short time.

  Then add the flour mixed with the pistachio one, followed by a knife tip of vanilla and finally the melted butter.

  Continue working with the whisk for a minimal time, sufficient to obtain a homogeneous mixture.

  Grease the nonstick baking sheets well and heat them in the oven until they are warm.

  At this point, with the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula, make two circles of batter on each sheet, about 3.5 inches in diameter, ensuring they have the same thickness throughout and are as thin as possible.

  The warming of the sheet will help in both a thin spreading of the batter and its self-leveling.

  
  
  If you want slimmer cigars, instead of circles, you can make ovals about 2.75 in x 3.5 in and then roll them from the longer side, keeping them long but “slimmer”.

  
  
  It’s advisable to form no more than 2 circles or ovals of batter per sheet. Once the sheet is taken out of the oven, they need to be rolled immediately.

  If they cool down, they’ll harden, making rolling impossible.

  However, I’ve noticed over time that reheating the wafer in the oven if not rolled in time can sometimes fix the issue.

  This operation restores much of the lost elasticity, but it doesn’t work if the wafer has hardened because it’s overcooked.
  
  

• Bake the first sheet at 340°F in the middle of the oven for about 4-5 minutes, until the edges of the circles are golden.

  Remove from the oven and immediately roll the circles (or ovals) tightly on themselves, lifting them with a silicone spatula.

  If you want to fill the cigars, it’s better to roll them over a wooden skewer so the center will surely remain free.

  Press with the spatula for a few seconds on the open part to fix it and also give this end a rounded shape.

  It is preferable to bake the second sheet only after making the cigars, so you can calmly monitor the baking times of those in the oven.

  Note that excessive baking makes the dough stiffer, jeopardizing the success, so do not exceed the indicated times of 4-5 minutes.

  Before reusing a sheet, wait for it to cool a bit, as mentioned, the ideal is that it is warm.

  Sweet cigars are thus ready, and those made with the skewer in the center, once cooled, are most suitable for filling.

• For this purpose, heat a jar containing pistachio cream in a double boiler.

  Once soft, pour it inside the cigars with the help of a teaspoon or a pastry syringe with a narrow nozzle.

  Let the cream set for a few minutes inside, placing the cigars on a surface.

  When it no longer drips, deposit a little more cream at both ends and sprinkle with pistachio flour.

  If desired, sprinkle the entire surface with powdered sugar.

  It is advisable to fill the pistachio sweet cigars just before serving to maintain their crispness.

  The narrower sweet cigars, made without the help of the skewer, are ideal for enriching good ice cream.