Lengua De Gato

Lengua de gato literally means cats’ tongue because of it size and shape. It was first introduced by Spanish pastry shops like La Cibeles and Dulcinea although the French also lay claim to it calling it langue de chat. Filipinos, on the other hand, have lengua de gato a lucrative home business for pasalubongs.
I would always order a whole jar from Good Shepherd in Baguio and eat it while watching TV or during recess in Brent. Even at this moment, while writing this article, I’m munching on some lengua de gato. It was one of the first recipes that I made on my own. The ingredients are readily available, the process is simple and straight-forward, and the cookies can be made in abundance. The most important part is to make sure the eggs are cold to easily separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, ensuring that no egg yolk will go to the mixture so it will remain firm and crispy. After mixing all ingredients, use a piping bag and follow the size written on the recipe below. Bake and let cool using parchment/bake paper for easy removal, which by the way is reusable.

1) Pre-heat (turn on oven) at 350 F or 175 C 15 minutes before baking.

2) Prepare two cookie sheets lined with bake/parchment papers so cookies will not stick. One plastic 12 to14-inch disposable piping bag (available in baking house ware section of SM Megamall). Snip a 1/2 inch wide hole with scissors when bag is half filled.

3) Beat with a wooden spoon or hand mixer: 1 cup softened Magnolia Gold butter salted, 1/ cup granulated sugar (white sugar), 1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 egg whites), 1 tsp. vanilla (note: other flavors like pandan, ube, etc. can be used). Lastly, add 1 cup all-purpose flour. When blended, place in piping bag. Pipe 2 inches long, 2 inches apart on prepared trays. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until sides are brown. Remove from pans. Cool. Store in cookie jars while warm with a paper napkin at the bottom to prevent spoilage. Makes 80 to 100 pieces.

4) Note: you may pipe into rounds, put choco sprinkles, serve with coffee.