Limba de Pisică (Cat's Tongue Cookies)

Name: Limba de Pisică (Cat's Tongue Cookies)
Yield: about 40 cookies
Cuisine: Romania
Ingredients: 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 100 g powdered sugar; 3 egg whites; 100 g all-purpose flour; 1 tsp vanilla; a pinch of salt

Also called limba de pisica, limbi de pisica, cat's tongues, langues de chat

Thin, crisp oblong cookies piped from a butter and egg white batter.

Makes: about 40 cookies

Ingredients

Scale

Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking sheets.
Beat the unsalted butter (100 g7 tbsp) with the powdered sugar (100 g¾ cup + 1 tbsp) until creamy. Add the egg whites (3) one at a time, beating after each; it may look curdled. Add the vanilla (1 tsp).
Sift in the flour (100 g¾ cup + 1 tbsp) and salt and mix to a smooth batter.
With a small round piping tip, pipe 6 to 8 cm (2½ to 3 inch) strips onto the sheets, 3 cm (1¼ inches) apart. They spread.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers still pale. Watch closely; they burn quickly.
Lift them off the sheet at once while warm. To make cigarette shapes, roll each one around a wooden spoon handle while still pliable.

Notes

Storage. Airtight tins only; humidity softens them fast.
To serve with coffee, ice cream or mousse.