Lingue di Gatto - Italian Cat Tongue Cookies
You’ll love this super easy lingue di gatto recipe. Light and crunchy, these cute little cat tongue cookies are the perfect treat with coffee or ice cream!
Servings 30 cookies
Calories 67kcal
Cost $5
Ingredients
- 100 g butter softened
- 100 g icing sugar / powdered sugar 1 cup
- 3 egg whites divided into 2 portions
- 100 g plain flour / all purpose flour 3/4 cup, divided into 2 portions
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional:
- 100 g melting chocolate
Instructions
- First step is to preheat your oven to 180˚C / 360˚F.
- Pop your softened butter into a large mixing bowl and add the icing sugar. Mix, mix, mix with a wooden spoon until creamed.100 g butter, 100 g icing sugar / powdered sugar
- Add half the egg whites and mix, then half the sifted flour and mix until combined. Repeat for the remaining egg whites, then the remaining flour, until you’ve got a soft, sweet and well mixed dough. Add vanilla extract (or any other flavourings, if using) and give it one last stir.3 egg whites, 100 g plain flour / all purpose flour, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and use a piping bag to pipe out your dough into 6-7 cm lengths, leaving plenty of space between each for the cookies to spread. Tip: You can make your own homemade piping bag using baking paper if you need – watch our recipe video where we show you how.
- Bake in the oven for around 5-8 minutes, but keep an eye on them and make sure you pull them out of the oven as soon as the edges turn golden brown. Transfer your cat tongue cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool.
- Optional: Melt chocolate into a smooth paste, then dip one end of each cooled lingue di gatto cookie and pop aside to set.100 g melting chocolate
Video
Notes
- Egg Whites – For best results, use room-temperature eggs.
- Flour – Regular plain / all purpose flour.
- Icing Sugar – Aka powdered sugar. This super-fine sugar is essential to the smooth and crispy texture of the cookies, so we don’t recommend any other substitutes.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted both work fine, so use whichever you prefer.
- Vanilla Extract – Optional for extra flavour. Also known as vanilla essence in Australia.
- Shape – For the best results, use a piping bag to pipe out the thin cookie batter into strips about 6-7cm / 2.5 in long. If you don’t have a real piping bag, you can make your own – see our recipe video for a quick demo. Don’t overfill your piping bag, use only around 2-3 scoops of the batter at a time.
- Spacing – Leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread out as they cook.
- Colour – Keep an eye on the biscuits as they cook. When they just start to brown, take them out of the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack. This way they’ll keep their delicious golden brown colour and crispy texture without becoming overcooked.
- Texture – For a softer result, bake for around 5 minutes only. For a crispier result, cook for 8-10 minutes until a rich golden brown.
- Storage – Cat tongue cookies will keep for up to a week in an airtight container, although they are known to lose their crispy snap of crunchiness within the first 24 hours. So the quicker you eat them, the better!
- Tweak the Flavour – Amp up your next batch of lingue di gatto with extra flavourings like almond extract, cinnamon, citrus zest, vanilla extract, maple syrup or even matcha green tea!
- Coat with Chocolate – Dip your freshly baked cat tongue cookies in melted chocolate. Make sure the chocolate has fully melted so the biscuits don’t break when trying to coat.
- Play with Shapes – These cookies are slightly bendable when you first take them out of the oven, so you could try bending them into twists and curls for a creative look.
Nutrition
Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg