LANGUES DE CHAT - FRENCH BUTTERY BISCUIT !!!

Langues de chat French biscuits, they are buttery biscuits.   It is perfect for teatime treat and kids snack box.  There are umpteen number of ways you can turn this simple cookie to gourmet cookie.  They should be golden and crisp around the edges and little pale in the center.  It is easy to make with few ingredients.  Here are few possible variation you can make with the base recipe. 

Shapes: They can be made long, thin, round, broad, piped using cookie press. Personally I love to do this cookie in the shape I posted today.
Flavorings: It can be flavored with your favorite flavoring like orange zest, lemon zest, cardamom, vanilla, lavender, Cinnamon, almond extract, chocolate and coffee the way you like.
Decorate: Drizzle with white and dark chocolate, dipped in chocolate and dusted with ground pistachio, almonds, hazelnut, cocoa nibs etc.  Sandwich the cookie using chocolate, lemon curd or Jam 
Served: It can be served with any glass desserts like mousse, sorbet, sherbet, soufflé, Possets, custard etc. and also perfect for dunking in your coffee or chai :) It can be served with Lemon curd or even Jam.

Here is my take on the recipe! Enjoy making!

LANGUES DE CHAT

You can make around 140 small cookies for the below measurement again depends on the size and piping tip you use. I divided the ingredients to 2 equal parts and made 2 variation. 

Here is the Basic recipe for Langues de chat from Claire Clark's Book :)
 

Ingredients :

All-purpose flour - 175g
Egg whites - from 2 eggs
Icing sugar - 125g
Unsalted butter - 125g
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp (if using, can be substituted with your favorite flavors as well)

Extra butter and flour for greasing and dusting the baking sheets.

I divided the above ingredients into 2 and made 2 variations

1. Added 1/2 tsp orange zest
2. For chocolate version added 2 tbsp cocoa powder and remove 2 tbsp flour from the above given measurement.

I used tempered chocolate for dipping the above finished cookie. 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 f.
2. Prepare 2 large baking sheets by greasing them with melted butter.  Put it in the fridge to firm and dust it with little flour before baking.
3. Take the softened butter in a bowl, sift in the icing sugar. Cream together until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the extract you are using to the egg whites and mix them into the creamed butter mixture.
5. No need to whisk or beat them, just make sure they are well incorporated.
6. Sift the flour (for chocolate version add cocoa powder along with the flour) and fold it into the batter with a spoon.
7. Do not overwork the mixture. 

8. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with size 12(Wilton) plain nozzle.
9. Now remove the chilled trays from the fridge and dust finely with plain flour.
10. Pipe straight sticks about 3 inches long, leaving a little space between each cookie, because they spread little during baking.
11. Baking in the oven for about 8 - 10 minutes until the edges are golden and pale in the center.
12. Cool slightly.  Remove from the baking tray and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
13. Once cooled decorate the cookies as per your liking. I dipped the cookie in the tempered chocolate and for chocolate version dipped in tempered chocolate and dusted with ground pistachio.