Langues de Chat (Cat's Tongue Biscuits)
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and King Arthur Baking.
Light, crisp little French biscuits piped into slim fingers, with golden edges and a delicate, buttery bite.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), with a shelf in the middle, for at least 20 minutes before baking. These thin biscuits bake quickly, so the oven needs to be fully up to temperature from the start.
- 2
Cream the butter. Beat the very soft butter with the icing sugar, salt and vanilla for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Starting with really soft butter means it blends evenly without needing to beat in excess air.
- 3
Add egg whites gradually. Add the egg whites a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Using room-temperature whites and adding them gradually stops the mixture splitting; if it does curdle slightly, beat in a spoonful of the flour to bring it back together.
- 4
Fold in flour and zest. Fold in the flour, and the lemon zest if using, just until smooth. Folding rather than beating at this stage keeps the batter light enough to pipe cleanly.
- 5
Pipe the fingers. Pipe the batter into fingers about 7-8cm long, spacing them 5cm apart, as they spread considerably in the oven. Tap the tray firmly on the worktop to settle the piped lines and release any air bubbles.
- 6
Bake until edged golden. Bake one tray at a time for 6-9 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the centres are still pale. This contrast between crisp, browned edges and a soft pale middle is exactly what gives langues de chat their delicate bite.
- 7
Cool and crisp. Leave on the tray for 1 minute, then lift onto a wire rack. They firm up and turn properly crisp only as they cool, so don't judge them straight from the oven.
Storage
Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 4 days. They don't freeze well baked, as the thin, crisp texture doesn't survive thawing.
Equipment
- 2 large metal baking trays lined with baking paper
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- piping bag with a 1 cm plain nozzle
- wire rack
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 39 kcal |
| Protein | 0.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 4.6 g |
| of which sugars | 2.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.5 g |
| Fat | 2.1 g |
| of which saturates | 1.3 g |
| Fibre | 0.1 g |
| Salt | 0.02 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
