langues de chat

cat’s tongue cookies with pandan filling

The pandan filling takes these delicate cookies from fabulous to fantabulous!

These lovely, buttery French cookies are so very European—deceptively simple with only a few ingredients, but positively wonderful. They’re also popular in Italy, where they’re known as Lingue di Gatto. As you can see, they get their name from their shape. They’re perfect as they are, with a cup of coffee or tea, but we’re going to take them to the next level with the most delicious filling, a homemade pareve marshmallow cream flavored with pandan. In case you’re unfamiliar with this flavoring, Pandan, also known as screw pine, originated in the tropical and subtropical Pacific. They sport long pointed leaves that have the most remarkable aroma and flavor. There’s no describing it. You just have to try it. The first time I did, I was hooked forever. There’s so much you can do with pandan, including making Kaya, a Malaysian coconut spread that you’ll want to use on everything. But today, we’re going to use it to flavor the filling for our Langues de Chat sandwiches. Because fresh and frozen pandan leaves can be hard to find, we’re going to use a pandan extract. You need to be careful when choosing a pandan product. There are cheaper ones, but many are filled with artificial ingredients and use artificial pandan flavoring. This stuff is the real deal.

So, let’s get started making these lovely cookies.

Langues de Chat

Ingredients:

It’s important to have all ingredients at room temperature, to keep the batter from curdling.

•  ¼ cup (half a stick) unsalted butter

• 5 tablespoons sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

• In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy.

• Add the egg and vanilla and beat together for a few minutes until well combined.

• Fold in the flour.

• Scoop the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round ¼ inch tip.

• For a professional look, you want the cookies to all be the same size. There’s an easy way to make that happen.

• Fit a baking sheet with a piece of parchment and grab a pencil and a straight edge. With the pan set horizontally, measure 3 ½ inches down from the top on both ends, left and right, and draw a straight line across.

• Measure 3 inches down from that line on both ends, and draw another line. Then, measure 1 inch down and draw a third line. Draw a 4th line, 3 inches down from the one above. Keep drawing lines in that pattern until you get to the bottom. Now you’ve got a perfect grid and you can pipe your cookies all to the same length. Keep the pressure constant, and your lines will come out evenly. Leave about 1 inch between them, as the dough spreads a lot.

• Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

• They stay fresh for a week, stored in an airtight container.                                                

The pandan filling takes these delicate cookies from fabulous to fantabulous.

Here’s how to make it—

 Pandan Cream Filling

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar (divided use)

• 1/3 cup water

• 3/4 cup light corn syrup

• 1/2 tablespoon pandan extract

Method:

• Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (you could also use a hand-held electric mixer), beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until light and foamy.

• With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Turn off the mixer but leave the bowl on the stand.

• In a small saucepan, stir to combine the water, corn syrup, and the 2/3 cup of sugar.

• Cook over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, start monitoring the syrup and don’t stir. Continue to boil until it reaches 246°, the firm ball stage. When the syrup reaches temperature, immediately remove the pot from the heat and turn the mixer back on, on low.

• Slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites, keeping it close to the side of the bowl and away from the beater.

• When all the syrup has been added, turn the mixer to high and beat for 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is very fluffy.

• Add the extract and beat to combine. Give it a taste—you can add a little more extract if you’d like.

• Your pandan cream filling is ready to use. Turn the cookies over, so that the side that was against the pan is exposed. Pipe or spread a layer of cream on half of them, and cover them with the

Note: Don’t fill your cookies until you’re ready to serve them, or the filling will make them soggy

(like cannolis).