La Sablésienne Langues de Chat Cookies

There is a lovely delicacy to a Langue de Chat. Its long, narrow shape gives you a fine crisp bite, followed by a gentler texture as the biscuit breaks down. Butter brings richness to the crumb, while natural vanilla flavouring gives it a soft, familiar fragrance. It is an inviting biscuit to eat slowly, one small bite between sips of coffee.

The recipe combines wheat flour, butter, sugar and eggs with the vanilla flavouring. The dough is piped into slender strips, then baked on metal plates until the biscuits are golden. Their shape is part of the pleasure: easy to set on the edge of a saucer, to hold alongside a spoonful of dessert, or to lay across a little bowl of cream.

The flavour is gentle enough to leave room for what you serve beside it. Chocolate mousse brings depth; fresh berries bring fruit; a warm drink gives the biscuit a quieter afternoon setting. Choose a 40g or 120g sleeve for those moments when a small crisp biscuit is exactly the finishing touch you want, or bring the 160g metal tin to the table with dessert. It can make a simple serving feel considered without asking you to prepare another course.

Arrange a few biscuits on a small plate and add more as the cups are filled. You can make the finish to a meal feel generous without making it heavy: a creamy spoonful, a crisp biscuit and time for another conversation.

• Chocolate mousse with a crisp companion: Spoon mousse into small bowls and add a Langue de Chat just before serving. The contrast between soft chocolate and the fine biscuit makes each spoonful more interesting. Put a second biscuit on the saucer for anyone who wants to keep the crunch going; a few fresh berries are a lovely addition if you have them.
• Tea, coffee or hot chocolate: Serve a few biscuits beside the cups and let everyone choose their drink. For tea, Dammann Frères Earl Grey Yin Zhen brings a fragrant citrus note alongside the vanilla. With coffee, keep the serving small and enjoy the biscuit between sips. Hot chocolate makes it a particularly comforting pause on a rainy afternoon.

Langues de Chat means cat’s tongues, a name that makes sense as soon as you see the biscuit. The long, narrow shape comes from piping the dough in slender strips before baking. A little French phrase becomes a very useful description of what is on your plate.

The shape has a practical charm, too. It fits beside a cup, leaves room for a spoon on the saucer and gives a creamy dessert something crisp to lean against. La Sablésienne bakes these biscuits on metal plates and gathers them by hand, keeping an old pastry form very much at home on the modern table. Once you have served one beside a favourite dessert, you will probably start finding other places for it.

40g and 120g sleeves: store in a cool, dry place. 160g metal tin: store in a cool place at 15–18°C, protected from moisture and light. Keep opened packaging closed after serving and follow the best-before date printed on the pack.