Langues de Chat (cats' tongues)
from Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook, owner of "Bouchon Bakery" in New York
An omnipresent French cookie alluringly called "Langues de Chat," or Cats' Tongues, sounds a lot ritzier than the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg, and flour that it takes to make them. This pantry basics chic, that goes with everything, is a long, thin, crisp little cookie, piped out to the shape of a cat's tongue.
They are very thin cookies, resembling more of a wafer. Langue du chats have rounded edges and skinny middles, resembling - what else - kitties' tongues. The shape is made by squeezing the dough out of a pastry tube with a blob of dough at one end, followed by a streak and then another blob.
The trick to making cat's tongues is to be stingy when putting them on the cookie sheet. Too large and they'll look like lady fingers. Too small and they burn quickly. These cookies only take six minutes to bake up.
Langues de Chat (cats' tongues)
from Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook, owner of "Bouchon Bakery" in New York
FG: I made these and sandwiched them with melted chocolate thinking the cookie might be the one that Pepperidge Farm uses to make their Milano cookies. [Since then I found that the copycat recipes do use a very similar cookie dough. See Milano Cookies for a recipe.] I had a hard time with the dough - the butter didn't want to beat in. The resulting cookies were tough. I found this information on the Internet afterwards: If your butter is too cold, the batter can split apart after you add the egg. As long as you keep beating the mixture together, the dough should come together. If not, add a little bit of the flour from the next step when mixing.
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed confectioner's sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt. Add the vanilla and one egg white and mix to combine. Add the remaining egg white and mix until just incorporated. Fold in half the flour, then fold in the remaining flour until smooth and completely combined. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
Put racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
Place the chilled batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe the batter into thin strips about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long on the baking sheets, leaving room between them because they will puff in the oven.
Bake for about 3 minutes, then switch the position of the sheets and bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool on racks. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes:
- Have all of the ingredients at room temperature before continuing.
- The use of confectioner’s sugar maximizes the cookie spread and minimizes the amount of aeration in the cookie dough when mixing. It also gives the cookie a finer texture.
Langues de Chat (cats' tongues)
from https://www.masterclass.com/
These melty, airy butter cookies are a snap to bring together and a perfectly light accompaniment to desserts like ice cream and sorbet or beverages like coffee, tea, and digestifs.
The buttery cookie has a short shelf life that bakers can extend slightly with proper storage. To keep langues de chat crisp, store them in an airtight container in a cool place for up to two days; after this period, they will lose their crispness.
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
Zest from 1 lemon [optional]
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets (silpats) and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl.
Add the egg whites and vanilla extract to the butter and beat until combined.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture a little at a time, just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip (about a 1/2 inch opening), and seal.
Pipe the batter onto prepared baking sheets in 3-inch lines, leaving enough space for the cookies to spread. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10–12 minutes, depending on your oven. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack with a thin spatula or palette knife to crisp up and cool completely.
24 cookies
