Dorie Greenspan’s Vanilla Sablés

Food

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Dorie Greenspan’s Vanilla Sablés

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams)
• 3 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract (or the pulp from 2 vanilla beans)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (8 ounces)
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (40 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
• 1 large egg yolk (save egg white for edging)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (272 grams)

For the Dough Roll Edging

• 1 egg white (saved from cookie dough recipe)
• sanding sugar (or granulated sugar)

A few notes on making these:

• These are similar to a shortbread cookie, but have a sandy, crumbly texture—sablé means “sand” in French.
• This is a basic vanilla recipe, but you could add sprinkles or chocolate shavings, to your dough as well.
• When making these the dough does need to chill for a couple of hours. I usually chill one and bake it off on the same day, and store the other in plastic wrap in my freezer for when I need a quick cookie to bake.

Directions

• Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Add the vanilla extract or paste to the sugar. Alternatively, cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape the seed pulp into the bowl. Rub them together until blended, using a silicone spatula or your fingers.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on low speed until smooth and creamy (not light and fluffy - it's best not to add air to the dough), about 1 minute; mix in the salt. Add the vanilla sugar and the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the egg yolk and mix for 1 minute. Still on low speed, mix in the flour just until blended; the dough will be soft.
• Turn the dough out onto the counter (I use a silicone baking mat) and knead it gently a few times. Divide it in half and shape each half into a 9-inch log. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
• Position oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 cup sanding sugar onto a piece of waxed paper. Combine the reserved egg white with a splash of water in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Brush each log with the egg wash and roll it in the sanding sugar until evenly coated, adding more sugar if necessary.
• Trim the ends of the logs if they’re ragged. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place them on the baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between rounds.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheet position halfway through, until the cookies are very slightly brown around the edges and golden on the bottom, 18 to 22 minutes.
• Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes; then carefully transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before serving. Sablés shouldn’t be eaten warm; they need to cool so that their texture will set properly.