Continuing on the “must use the egg whites theme,†I also made some 
lenguas de gato (tongues of cats) which must have gotten their name simply because they were flat and small… I can’t imagine that a cat’s tongue would be crisp, sweet and buttery… at any rate, I have decided to declare war on egg whites…if there is one ingredient that has succeeded in irritating me this season, it’s the egg white. First, local eggs have too much of it so unless the recipe measures volume, then your proportions can be royally screwed. Second, for some reason, local egg whites seem far more watery than good egg whites, unless you buy the organic eggs at a whopping PHP8 each. Third, as much as I like their glue like capability (they were once mixed with mortar for construction, were they not?), they use it to stick to pans and make it nearly impossible to take a meringue or cookie off the pan without two expletives used per 10 second period… So the war is on despite my doing 2-3 other high egg white recipes that will be posted later…egg whites will return to their main use in our kitchen, to make icing for the annual gingerbread house…
To make the lenguas, cream 1 cup of good unsalted butter in 
an electric mixer and add 1 cup of caster sugar and mix well. Add 3 watery local egg whites or 4 nice organic egg whites, one by one and mix well. Fold in two cups of sifted flour with ½ teaspoon salt and some pure vanilla extract. If you have too many egg whites, the consistency of the cookies gets a little dough-y, as in the ones seen here…they tasted good, they just weren’t as crisp and melt-in-your-mouth as they should be. If you get the dough-y versions, add a little more butter the next time around. Pipe these into l1-2 inch long strips on a well greased cookie sheet; I had to use a zip lock bag with a corner cut out to do this step. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375-400 degrees until just slightly golden around the edges. As soon as they are cooked, remove from the pans and cool on wire racks. Our landlord used to send us a half gallon container of lenguas every year… they were clearly homemade (if not in their home, a friend’s) and utterly scrumptious. This year, however, they sent a box instead and I was a bit disappointed until I opened the box marked “food†and found two of the better ensaimadas I have tasted this year…
29 Responses
Too many egg whites. Reduce eggwhites to 2 tbsp. or 2 xl eggwhites. Chill dough for 30 minutes before piping for easier handling.
MM is charlotte next?
sister, thanks for that, I adjusted the posted recipe but for those who want to try this, you may want to reduce egg whites further. I like the brief refrigeration step. Schatzli, no… I have never actually made a Charlotte…
where’s the best place to get lengua de gato?
I actually declared a war against lengua de gato when I was much younger because I didn’t like its name. Think of how when you were a kid you used to take food names literally … ewwww.
We carry yummy lengua de gato from chef borromeo (a graduate of gene gonzales) at the Legaspi Village Sunday Market. Look for the Miranda’s Kitchen stall, the poster with the baby in a chef’s hat). Unfotunately, the market is closed and will be back on Jan. 7 already.
I still have about 15 small jars( at 85p each) left here with me from last sunday’s market. text me at 09178193595 if you want some.
Are Broas and Lengua de gato made the same way? The pictures look like broas without the sugar coating.
The lengua de gatos that I know best are the very thin and crisp cookies, fond memories of the ones in La Cibeles. Cibo makes them like that too, flat.
They have similar ingredients though broas use whole eggs including the yolks. Also, in my opinion, broas should be bigger though I notice some folks do them small… my lenguas don’t look as good as they should…
MM, this was your funniest post ever. War on eggwhites? Add 3 watery local egg whites? Hahah, what a gas!
isn’t the correct name lenguas de gato, and not lengua de gato? every commercial lenguas de gato maker in this country seems to misspell it.
Try the lenguas of Katrina – really thin and buttery! The place is in D Tuazon, QC but I believe she has pcik up point in Loyola Heights and Valle. Contact is 09209243248.
Thanks for that tip Debbie…will have to wait till after the holidays and an exercise program to get rid of all the new weight…heehee. Gonzo, not sure but it seems to be Lenguas though I failed most of my language classes…
I don’t think you could say that the spelling is wrong, it’s just that one is singular and the other, plural. On the other hand, I saw from another post a correction made to MM’s spelling of “Coeur” from Le Coeur de France. I hate to correct the correction, but MM is right, it’s spelled coeur, not couer. the e always comes after the o, like boeuf or beef, oeuf or egg, etc.
the best lenguas de gato /broas i have tasted came from Bohol in the Visayas. A town named Baclayon has a family that makes this for generations.
tess, you are right, I have a post on the broas from Baclayon in my archives…my family has been buying broas from them for 40+ years! ccb, my apologies, just noticed your comment now and went back to the commercial ensaimadas post and yes, I spelled the name right…the sticker in the photo seems to confirm it…thanks for the editing vigilance…I often have mistakes but it’s nice when someone takes your side when you are actually correct…
Hi, I like this discussion about lengua, because we are actually looking for a good recipe coz we like to include lengua in the product lines we display in exhibits. However if you have good price, baka we might just as well order na lang. Btw, we are manufacturer of uraro cookies from Quezon province. Modesty aside, ours is the most delicious…Try to carry our product…
Btw, my number is 09178870634, for order of URARO cookies form Quezon Province.
What is the white topping of Broas? How do you make those?
Norman,I don’t thinkthere is a “topping”, instead, I think the foam of the mixture somehow rises to the top while the cookie is baking. It is lighter as the heat source is predominantly from below… I don’t have a good recipe for broas but I do have several posts on it in the archives…
I like the thin and crispy lenguas de gato, CIBO/Max’s used to be my favored ones then I got to try a bottle from The BLUE KITCHEN (shangri-la/rockwell). They carry it as “Very Buttery Lenguas de Gato” in plain/almond/oatmeal flavors. Definitely very buttery, not margarine-y. And this one tops the melts-in-your-mouth list! Better than the one of Katrina’s (because it’s easier to get)– their supplier is willing to deliver. Contact number is 0917-8373941 (Cats). Definitely a must-try!
You have a great website, first time to be here, I was looking for yema recipes. Yours turned out great. Thanks and keep up your great work!
Hi, just to ask what kind of flour did you use for these lenguas? I’ve read from other sites that they use cake flour.
Thanks a bunch..
In Argentina these are called VAINILLAS, not lenguas de gato. As someone said, lenguas de gato are the very thin cookies, very buttery as opposed to the more fluffy kind. These would take leavening (cake flour) but the others wouldn’t.
The ones you have baked are sold in the US under an Italian brand, but I forgot what they are called here!
We’ve been providing original recipe lenguas de gato for over 10yrs now. The recipe has been handed over for generations within my husband’s family.
For orders, you may text 09213482592. Just provide your name and address, we deliver depending on the quantity ordered.
Comment deleted, due to lack of functioning email address. Marketman
what is the name of the maker of lengua be gato?
I used to love the lenguas from Baguio. They’re very thin and crispy. I could eat a jar-full in one sitting. :-)
Actually tried to bake lenguas couple of hours ago. Not the kind Mr Marketman posted but the thin ones. The finished product can be seen here.
the white on top of broas is the powdered sugar. Once the cookie sheet is full of the piped foam , lift the whole thing carefully bringing the face down the powdered sugar that is spread evenly in a tray or cloth of same size of the cookie sheet. My apology for not so good English.
for order of uraro, 09174338125
Hi marketman, im wondering why other recipes “beat the eggwhites until foamy” before adding to the butter/sugar mixture?