Crunchy, thin and wonderfully buttery, Langue de Chat cookies are the perfect addition to your chocolate mousse, ice cream, trifle or any dessert you like! They’re made with just 5 ingredients and are a great way to use up leftover egg whites without even resorting to a mixer!
Langue de Chat, French for cat’s tongue, is also famous in other countries such as Italy where it’s known as Lingue di Gatto. It’s supposedly named as such because it bears a resemblance to a cat’s tongue!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Incredibly easy: Minimal ingredients, no mixer, no chilling time… It was always such a hassle for my family to find these in a store when making trifle. If only we had known how easy they were to make from scratch!
- Versatile: These cookies are delicious plain, with a cup of coffee/tea or as a decoration in a fancy dessert. They can also be used to make sandwich cookies filled with ganache, jam and so on. Then a quick dip in melted chocolate to take them to the next level!
Ingredients
Langue de Chat cookies are traditionally composed of an equal amount of flour, egg whites, butter and sugar. I like to use a little less egg whites and a little more sugar for wonderfully crispy cookies.
- Flour: All-purpose flour, for structure. If you don’t use enough, the cookies will spread too much.
- Butter: Unsalted butter, for richness and flavor. The butter should be soft so you can easily incorporate the other ingredients. I like to cut it into small pieces and let it warm up at room temperature. If your kitchen is very cold or you forgot to take it out, you can briefly warm it (not melt) in the microwave for a few seconds. Once you can easily press it against the sides of the bowl with a spoon, you’re good to go.
- Egg whites: For structure and a lighter texture. Cookies made with more egg whites tended to be chewier and more bendy. When using less egg whites, the dough was thicker and the cookies spread less. I like to use just enough egg whites to keep them crunchy and light. Some recipes call for whole eggs but the added fat (from the yolk) will make the cookies more tender and richer.
- Sugar: I’m using powdered sugar which easily combines with the butter. You can use granulated sugar if you prefer. Just note that the texture will be slightly different. You can also adjust the amount a little to your liking. These cookies are moderately sweet.
- Vanilla extract: Just a little bit, for a subtle vanilla flavor that doesn’t distract from the buttery goodness. You could replace it with other flavorings or add a little bit of lemon/orange zest.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- First, make sure the butter is soft enough by pressing it against the sides of the bowl.
- Sift the powdered sugar over the butter to get rid of any clumps then mix to combine.
- Add a little bit of egg whites (about a third or half) and mix to combine. Don’t worry if it starts to look a little curdled as you’re adding water (from the egg whites) to fat (the butter).
- Sift a little bit of flour over the butter mixture and mix to combine. Then repeat until you’ve used up all the egg white and flour.
- Stop mixing as soon as the dough is smooth and pipe 6 cm lines on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
You could pipe circles instead and top with rum soaked raisins (that you strained to get rid of excess liquid) or chocolate chips.
Bake until the edges are golden brown and enjoy!
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Langues De Chat
Crunchy, thin and wonderfully buttery, Langue de Chat cookies are the perfect addition to your chocolate mousse, ice cream, trifle or any dessert you like!
40
cookies15
minutes30
minutesIngredients
100 g unsalted butter, diced and softened (3.5 oz., 1/3 cup and 2 Tablespoons)
120 g powdered sugar, sifted (4.2 oz., 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, slightly mixed with a fork, at room temperature (about 65 g/2.3 oz.)
100 g all-purpose flour, sifted (3.5 oz., 3/4 cup)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F, conventional setting) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter in a large bowl and press it against the sides of the bowl with a spoon (or sturdy spatula) to make sure it’s soft enough. If it isn’t, wait for it to warm up a bit longer. Alternatively, briefly warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave in a suitable bowl until softened (not melted).
- Add the sifted powdered sugar and mix to combine.
- Add the vanilla extract. Then gradually mix in the egg whites (in 2 or 3 additions), alternating with the sifted flour. Mix just until combined. Tip: Don’t worry if the mixture rich in butter looks curdled when you add the egg whites (which contain water). It will come together when you add the flour.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an 8 mm/0.3 inch plain piping tip. Pipe 6 cm/2.4 inch lines about 1 cm/0.4 inch thick (or 1.5 cm/0.6 inch for wider cookies) on prepared baking sheet in staggered rows, spacing them about 5 cm (2 inches) apart. The cookies will spread in the oven.
- Bake in the middle of the oven (one sheet at a time) for about 13-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown (the center will remain light in color). Transfer to a wire rack (using a heatproof spatula if needed) to cool down completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make-ahead tips: If you plan on storing them for a few days, make sure they aren’t underbaked so they don’t get soggy. Let them cool down completely on a wire rack then store in a metal tin if possible (not plastic) for optimal freshness and crispness.
- Yield: This recipe will yield about 40 cookies although this will depend on the size of the cookies. You can easily make half a portion if you don’t need so many cookies.
- Baking the cookies: It’s best to pipe evenly sized cookies so they finish baking at the same time. I find it best to bake the cookies at a lower temperature for longer, to ensure crisp cookies without burnt edges. Feel free to adjust the oven temperature and time depending on your oven and preference. Darker cookies will be crunchier and last longer. Lighter cookies will be chewier and might quickly get soggy if not stored properly.
- Butter: I’m using European style butter which has a higher fat content (at least 82%) and less water than American brands.
- Egg whites: Make sure they aren’t cold so the butter doesn’t firm up when you add them.
- Sugar: You can use granulated sugar if you prefer. Just note that the texture will be slightly different.
- Variations: Use two langues de chat to make sandwich cookies filled with ganache, jam etc. Then a quick dip in melted chocolate to take them to the next level! You could also pipe circles (instead of lines) and place rum soaked raisins (strained from the liquid) or chocolate chips before baking.
- Cup measurements: Please note that these measurements are approximate. For best results, I’d recommend weighing the ingredients.