Description
Classic French butter cookies (sablés) embody Brittany’s rich culinary heritage. Crisp, buttery rounds melt delightfully, inviting you to savor France’s sweet simplicity.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (470 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (230 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Creaming: Vigorously whip softened butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, creating an aerated foundation for the delicate cookies.
- Flavor Integration: Blend egg yolk and vanilla essence into the butter mixture, ensuring a smooth and homogeneous texture that promises rich, aromatic undertones.
- Dough Formation: Gently fold flour and salt into the wet ingredients, carefully working the mixture until a uniform, pliable dough emerges without over-mixing.
- Chilling Phase: Shape the dough into a compact disk, wrap securely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour to enhance flavor development and improve texture.
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper, creating an optimal surface for even baking.
- Shaping: Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to a uniform quarter-inch thickness, ensuring consistent cookie texture and appearance.
- Cutting and Glazing: Cut precise cookie shapes, arrange on prepared baking sheets with ample spacing, and delicately brush with egg yolk for a glossy, golden-brown finish.
- Baking Process: Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, watching for pale golden edges that indicate perfect doneness and delicate crisp texture.
- Cooling and Serving: Transfer cookies to a wire rack immediately after removing from the oven, allowing complete cooling to achieve optimal crispness and flavor development.
Notes
- Butter Temperature Matters: Ensure butter is softened but not melted, creating the perfect creamy texture for light, airy cookies.
- Chill for Perfection: Refrigerating dough allows gluten to relax and prevents spreading, resulting in crisp, beautiful cookie shapes.
- Egg Wash Magic: Brushing with egg yolk creates a stunning golden sheen and adds a professional bakery-like finish to the cookies.
- Precise Thickness Counts: Roll dough to exactly 1/4 inch for consistent baking and achieving the classic French butter cookie texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg