Langues De Chat Biscuits
Ingredients
- 125 g Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 125 g White icing sugar
- 3 Egg whites
- 165 g Plain flour
- 25 g Ground almonds
- 1 (zest only) Orange or lemon (optional)
- OR ½ tsp Vanilla paste / powder (optional)
- A little for dusting White icing sugar
Accompaniment
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Description
Light little biscuits that are great with desserts like lemon posset, chocolate mousse, panna cotta and ice cream. Perfect when you have spare egg whites!
Method
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1
With an electric hand whisk, in a stand mixer or with a wooden spoon, beat the soft butter really well until it is creamy. Sift in half of the icing sugar and beat into the butter, then repeat with the other half. Beat in the egg whites one at a time. It will be quite sloppy and may look curdled, but don't worry.
Sift in the flour, add the ground almonds and zest / vanilla (if using) and fold in well.
Cover the bowl and leave for about 20 minutes (no harm done if left for longer).
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C*.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle** and pipe straight lines***, approx. 8cm long and 4 cm apart, onto baking sheets lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. Dip your finger in a little water and press down the tips that are left when lifting away the piping bag.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until set and just starting to colour, with lightly golden edges.
Leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes before carefully lifting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional - once cooled dust with a little icing sugar.
Chef's Tips
*I baked them at 180 in the past and although the new recipe referenced here suggested 170, I found the result was better at 180. Ovens do vary.
**For biscuits as shown in the photo, approx. 3 cm wide, use a 1cm piping nozzle. For smaller biscuits use a 1/2 cm nozzle. With this quantity of mixture, you will get around 25 of the former and 50 of the latter.
***If you want a guide, draw lines on the back of the baking parchment. I also piped a few biscuits in other shapes.
If baking in batches, run the baking sheet under cold water to cool it down before using it again so that the mixture doesn't melt before going into the oven.
Dip one or both ends in melted chocolate (dark, white or milk).
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