Sables, also known as a French Butter Cookie or Breton Biscuit, is a
classic French cookie originating in Normandy France. The name
'Sables'
is French for "sand", which refers to the sandy texture of this delicate and crumbly
shortbread-like cookie. The traditional shape is round with fluted edges and the tops of the
cookies are usually brushed with an egg wash to give them a shiny appearance. The finishing touch, which makes them instantly recognizable, is to score a criss-cross
pattern on the top of each cookie.
The flavor of French Butter Cookies is dependent on the quality
of your ingredients, especially the butter and vanilla extract.
Butter is what gives
these cookies their wonderful flavor so
use the
best you can afford. There are also many European-style butters on the
market today which you may want to try as their flavors and textures are
wonderful.
Butter in the States is graded according to flavor, color, texture, aroma and body and one easy way to tell the
quality of the butter is by the letter code or numerical number listed on the
butter's package. The highest grade is AA (93 score), then A (92 score),
followed by B (90 score). I know that buying vanilla extract can also be a challenge
as there are so many choices. The first
thing to do is to make sure that it is labeled "pure". The
best I have found, although it is quite expensive, is Nielsen-Massey Madagascar
Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste that can be found in specialty food stores and by
mail order. If your budget doesn't allow this expenditure or you cannot
find it, don't worry, there are quality brands to be found in your local grocery
store. Just stay away from the ones labeled "imitation" vanilla extracts
as they are made with synthetic
vanilla (from glycoside found in the sapwood of certain conifers or from coal
extracts) and leave a bitter aftertaste.
These cookies
are
delicious plain, but they can also be flavored with ground
nuts or zests and they can even be sandwiched together with jam or preserves, ganache, or lemon curd.
Sables: In the bowl of
your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and
sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla
extract and beat until blended.
In a separate
bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated. Do not over mix the dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface,
knead the
dough a few times to bring it together, and then divide the dough in half.
Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C)
and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment
paper and set aside.
Remove one portion of
the dough from the refrigerator
and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough until it
is 1/4 inch (1 cm) thick. Using a
lightly floured 2 inch (5 cm) round fluted cookie cutter, cut out the cookies, placing them on the
prepared sheet. Place the baking sheet of cut out cookies in the
refrigerator for about 15 -20 minutes to chill the dough. Meanwhile, in a
small bowl, whisk the egg with the water for the egg wash.
Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and brush the tops with the egg wash.
Then, with the tines of a fork (or I like to use the end of a toothpick), make a crisscross pattern on the top of each
cookie. Bake cookies in the preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes (depending
on size of cookie) or until golden brown around the edges.
Cool cookies on wire rack. Store in an airtight container
for
up to a week.
Makes about 3
dozen cookies.
Adapted from Le Cordon Bleu "Cookies" and a
recipe in The New York Times for French Butter Cookies by Dorie Greenspan.
Sables:
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted
butter, room
temperature
Machine
Translations are provided by an automated service and the accuracy of the
translations are not up to the standards of human translation. Machine
translations are provided for use by people with little or no English
skills. We recommend that people proficient in English use the English pages
rather then the machine translated pages.
Use of materials on Joyofbaking.com is
entirely at the risk of the user and Joyofbaking.com, Stephanie Jaworski or
Rick Jaworski
will not be responsible for any damages directly or indirectly resulting
from the use.
This
website and the contents are not endorsed or sponsored by the owner
of the "Joy of Cooking" series of books or its publisher Simon & Schuster,
Inc.
Content in any form may
not be copied or used without written permission of Stephanie Jaworski,
Joyofbaking.com. Students and non profit educators may use content without
permission with proper credit.
Page loading ... Please wait.
