French cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Breton Sablés

Thick shortbread cookies from Brittany, whose salted butter distinctly sets off the sweet dough.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 150 g soft butter
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 100 g sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 200 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk for brushing

Instructions

1. Crush the coarse sea salt finely in a mortar and beat with the soft butter and sugar for 4 min. until pale and creamy.
2. Stir in the 3 egg yolks one at a time, add the vanilla extract and keep beating until the mixture is glossy.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder over the top and fold in only briefly, until a soft dough forms – kneading too long makes the sablés tough instead of crumbly.
4. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1.5 cm thick and chill for at least 1 hr., until it is firm enough to cut out.
5. Preheat the oven to 170°C top/bottom heat, cut out 6 cm circles, place in buttered metal rings, brush with beaten egg yolk and score a lattice pattern with a fork.
6. Bake the sablés for 18–20 min., until evenly golden brown, let rest in the rings for 10 min. and let cool completely on a rack.