Active Time
35 min
Total Time
1 hr
Love a cookie with crunch? These thin, crisp butter cookies are for you—each one is topped with crumbled almond praline, and its flavor plays on the time-tested combination of caramel and salt.
Ingredients
Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies
For praline
For cookies
Make praline:
Step 1
Put a large sheet of foil on a heatproof work surface.
Step 2
Heat sugar in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is golden. Add toasted almonds, stirring until coated well, then carefully pour onto foil (mixture will spread) and cool completely, about 15 minutes. Peel praline off foil and chop with a large heavy knife. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Make cookies:
Step 3
Preheat oven to 325°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 4
Whisk together flour and table salt. Pulse almonds with sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
Step 5
Beat butter and sugar mixture with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in egg whites and extracts. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches until just combined well.
Step 6
Transfer batter to pastry bag, then dab some batter under corners of parchment to secure to baking sheets. Pipe 6-inch-long strips (about 1/3 inch wide) 1 1/2 inches apart in 2 slanted rows (so they will fit) on each baking sheet.
Step 7
Bake until slightly puffed but still pale, 7 to 9 minutes, then sprinkle generously with praline and lightly with sea salt. Continue baking until cookies are baked through and golden-brown on edges, 7 to 11 minutes more. (Turn baking sheets if cookies are browning unevenly.) Slide parchment with cookies onto racks to cool completely (cookies will crisp as they cool).
Step 8
Form and bake more cookies on cooled baking sheets lined with fresh parchment.
· We used an Ateco 804 plain tip for our cookies. · To avoid stickiness, try to bake these cookies on a dry day. · Praline can be made 1 week ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. • cookies keep, layered between sheets of parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.
Leave a Review
Reviews (9)
Back to TopI was disappointed with these. The first batch spread out so I tried chilling the batter before piping it for the second round with no luck in reducing the spreading. Flavor was just O.K. for us, so I won't be making them again.
Anonymous
Folsom
5/19/2016
Beautiful and absolutely delicious, these turned out even better looking than the photo online! Pipe them evenly in parallel lines on parchment (not Silpats, they are super-buttery and they will slide around if you try w/o parchment). Don't worry that the praline won't stick - it will melt all over them beautifully. I tied them back-to back in bundles with thin ribbon to put in holiday cookie boxes. They are indestructible as you move them around. The taste - salty & sweet, buttery and crisp, with a crunch AND some softness is just divine. Langues Du Chat - J'taime.
sprichard
Plainfield, NJ
1/9/2013
i make "gourmet" cookies each year from some of their many christmas editions. I decided to try these ones this year. I'm so glad i did. they are the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Even the biscuit without the praline was good. I will try making these again soon... i'm sure!
Anonymous
Winnipeg, MB
1/5/2012
I love the idea of this recipe, but for some reason I wound up with a puffy, chewy cooking, rather than a crunchy one. The batter flattened out considerably as it baked. I was true to the recipe, but I do not have a great batting average when it comes to baked goods, so I'm sure I must have taken a wrong turn at some point. As there is no lack of good, easy cookie recipes in the world, I don't think I'll be making these again, but they were worth the try.
Scattergorical
1/10/2011
I'm always looking for alternatives to the old I'm-sending-you-Christmas-Cookies standbys and this will be one of them from now on! Crisp, with just a hint of chewiness in the center, and more of an adult presentation than decorated cut-outs. The batch makes a LOT (especially since i made mine shorter to fit into tins easier) but do make sure they're skinnier then, some of mine ended up looking like chubby little ladyfingers (fkatnik hit it spot on). Oh, and I don't know if it's the type of salt I have (some pink flaked stuff from Australia), but I had to thow my first tray of these out - then be SUPER lighthanded with the salt from there on. But otherwise well worth it, and once you wrestle with the praline once or twice, it's super easy. :)
lfiske
Minneapolis, MN
12/15/2009
These were light and crispy. The trick is to pipe them thin so they look like tongues and not ladyfingers. They are relatively simple to make and they make a lot- good for holiday cookie exchange par-tays. Technically they are called Langues du Chat (not de). I am at altitude (5800' and the recipe needed no adjustments. Will keep this in my binder.
fkatnik
12/14/2009
I baked these cookies exactly as indicated to gift as part of my New Year's treat boxes. They got rave reviews. I would suggest making the praline half at a time instead of all at once. Sugar can go from golden to burnt in an instant so I always find it easier to work with smaller batches.
akalish
New York, NY
1/13/2009
This is an outstanding cookie and a nice change from the usual Christmas cookie. It will definely become part of my repertoire.
christy319
Seattle
12/18/2007
These were delicious! The only problem I experienced was that the cookies really spread out when they baked. They never "puffed up". So I might add a bit more flour next time or cut out one (or even two) of the egg whites. But still delicious and easy!
steingirl
milwaukee, wi
12/1/2007
See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
43 Sweet and Salty Desserts to Satisfy All Your Cravings at Once
Salted caramel sauce is only the beginning.
