Sable cookies are a buttery shortbread cookie from France. "Sable" means "sandy," referring to the cookies' crumbly texture. These cookies are simple to make. The recipe below is Dorie Greenspan's recipe, as it appeared in the New York Times in 2004. The dough below is "basic," and can be flavored however you like (chocolate, almond, lemon, etc.).
The dough needs to chill at least two hours before baking, so if you are pressed for time, I recommend making the dough the day before you want to bake it.
Sable Cookies
Recipe by Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter (preferably high-fat European-style, like Plugra), at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted before measuring
- ½ teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and the salt and continue beating until smooth, about a minute.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until well-blended.
- Scrape down the bowl.
- Pulse in the flour (should take 5 to 10 pulses). Continue stirring on low another 30 seconds.
- Scrape the dough onto your work surface, and divide in half. Place each half on a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a 9-inch long log. Wrap each log in the plastic, and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, or as long as 3 days. (Alternately, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months. Place in the refrigerator the night before baking to thaw.)
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a paring knife, cut the dough into ½-inch rounds.
- Place the rounds an inch apart on the baking sheet, and bake 17 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool on the baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rock to cool completely.