Toasted Flour Sablés

Toasted Flour Sablés

December 16, 2016

You make these cookies with toasted flour to prevent too much gluten from forming. Hard-boiled egg yolks keep the dough light. Toasted Flour Sablés finely crumble and melt with flavour, as perhaps the most tender cookie youèll ever know. A touch of dark chocolate completes their important mission: your complete satisfaction. Bake them today and leave me your comments below.

This post participates in a very special Canadian Cookie Collaboration between the Canadian Food Creatives and the Canadian Christmas Cookie Exchange. A big thanks to our hosts: Laura, who can be found at Bluenose Baker along with Kacey from The Cookie Writer, and Evelyne from CulturEatz. See other talented Canadian bloggers below who contributed their sweet holiday cookie recipes. Also, many thanks to Claire Saffitz of Bon Appetit for this inspired recipe. See her original recipe here.

The Finer Cookie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This post contains affiliate links, which means The Finer Cookie will receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link. This modest income helps support the website.

Ingredients

15-20 cookies

Sablé Cookie Ingredients

  • 1 cup 240 grams 8 1/2 ounces all-purpose bleached flour
  • 3-4 3-4 3-4 hard-boiled egg yolks, pressed through a fine-mesh sieve
  • 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup 170 grams 6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 130.6 grams 4.6 ounces white granulated sugar

Optional

  • 120 grams 4 1/4 ounces lightly salted ground pistachios
  • 85 grams 3 ounces dark chocolate

Instructions

Mise en Place the Cookie

  • Preheat the oven to 450F to toast the flour.
  • Hard-boil 3-4 eggs and let cool to room temperature.
Hard boiled egg yolks in cookie dough minimizes gluten formation.
Hard boiled egg yolks in cookie dough minimizes gluten formation.
  • Sprinkle flour evenly over a baking sheet and set the tray in the upper portion of the oven.
Toasting flour in the oven.
Toasting flour in the oven.
  • Toast the flour, stirring often once top layer of flour browns, until all flour is golden, 10-15 minutes. The flour will burn quickly, so check it frequently.
Toasted flour in the oven reduces gluten formation.
Toasted flour in the oven reduces gluten formation.
  • Sift the toasted flour into a medium bowl, breaking up the clumps and pushing them through the sieve. Let cool.
Sift the toasted flour to break up the clumps, and lighten the batter.
Sift the toasted flour to break up the clumps, and lighten the batter.
  • Meanwhile remove the cooked, cooled egg yolks and push them through a fine sieve directly into the bowl with the toasted flour.
Pushing the cooked egg yolk through a fine sieve.
Pushing the cooked egg yolk through a fine sieve.
  • Add the salt to the flour mixture. Combine thoroughly with a whisk and set aside.
  • Measure 2 tablespoons of water into a small bowl and set aside.
  • Measure sugar and butter in a bowl of an electric mixer and set aside. Read The Finer Cookie’s post on how to weigh and measure.
  • If you’re using the pistachios, lightly salt 1 cup of pistachios and grind them in a food processor until fine. Set aside.
Green toasty pistachios are delicious.
Green toasty pistachios are delicious.
  • Tear a sheet of plastic wrap onto a clean surface.

Finish the Cookie Dough

  • With a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. See more on how to cream butter and sugar here.
  • With your mixer on low, slowly add the flour, egg and salt mixture.
  • Then mix in the water just until combined.
  • The cookie dough will appear crumbly, but will hold together when pinched gently.
  • Pour the dough onto a clean counter and collect it together, until smooth.
Cookie dough that’s transforming from a crumbly mass to a smooth cookie dough.
Cookie dough that’s transforming from a crumbly mass to a smooth cookie dough.
  • Roll the dough into 2.5 inch diameter log.
Smooth cookie dough rolled into a 2.5 inch log.
Smooth cookie dough rolled into a 2.5 inch log.
  • OPTIONAL: If you’re using the pistachios, roll the log into the ground pistachios here.
Rolling the cookie dough in ground pistachios.
Rolling the cookie dough in ground pistachios.
  • Wrap the cookie roll in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for approximately 4 hours until very firm, or overnight.

Cutting and Baking the Toasted Flour Sablés

  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking liner.
  • Remove the log from the refrigerator and let the dough soften slightly.
  • Unwrap the log and slice a little dough from both ends to square it off.
  • With a serrated blade, evenly slice the dough 1/4 inch thick. If the dough is too cold, the slices will crack and sometimes break. If that happens, let the dough sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Don’t slice the cookies too thin. Keep them 1/4 inch slices.
Don’t slice the cookies too thin. Keep them 1/4 inch slices.
  • Place the rounds on parchment lined baking sheets, spacing about 1″ apart.
There’s more than 1 inch between each cookie. Just being safe.
There’s more than 1 inch between each cookie. Just being safe.
  • Bake cookies at 400F about 10-12 minutes, just until set, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until edges are golden but centers are still pale. Remember the egg is already cooked, so careful not to over bake.
  • Let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Stencilling the Cookies

  • Stencilling the cookies can be delicate work, but with a few techniques, you should be successful. Find the stencils I used here.
  • Melt the chocolate over steam in a double boiler or in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time. The chocolate must be very liquid when applying to the stencil.
  • To get a nice clean stencilled image, you’ll will need to use the flattest section of the cookie, even if this means flipping the cookie over and stencilling the underneath.
Pour a small amount of chocolate over a clean stencil.
Pour a small amount of chocolate over a clean stencil.
  • Secure the cookie with your finger so that it doesn’t move.
  • Then with the lightest touch, using an offset spatula, quickly spread the chocolate over the stencil.
  • To keep the chocolate from getting underneath the stencil, pass the spatula as gently as possible, and only once over the open areas.
With the lightest touch, smooth the chocolate over the stencil.
With the lightest touch, smooth the chocolate over the stencil.
  • Lift the stencil with one hand, as though you are peeling tape. This will give you the cleanest edge. Avoid using both hands to lift the stencil, as you might shake and smear the chocolate.
  • Clean the stencil before using it on the next cookie.
  • Repeat until all the cookies are complete.

Applying the Pistachio Edge

  • Pour the ground pistachios onto the counter or into a wide mouth bowl and set in your work area.
  • Roll the edge of each cookie in the remaining chocolate, being careful not touch the stencilled image.
  • Immediately roll the wet chocolate in the ground pistachios.
Rolling the wet chocolate edge in ground pistachios.
Rolling the wet chocolate edge in ground pistachios.
  • Lay on the rack to cool.
Cooling the chocolate and pistachio.
Cooling the chocolate and pistachio.

Storing the Toasted Flour Sablés

  • These cookies will keep quite a while.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature until all gone, which will only be a few days.

Visit these Canadian Bloggers to view all of these sweet holiday cookie recipes:

  • Austrian Husarenkrapferl Cookies by Evelyne at CulturEatz
  • Candy Cane Kissed Chocolate Chip Cookies by Fareen at Food Mamma
  • Chocolate Candy Cane Biscotti by Amanda at Peppers & Pennies
  • Christmas Piñata Cookies by Karin at The Kitchen Divas
  • Coconut shortbread Sandwiches by Taylor at The Girl on Bloor
  • Crispy Spicy Almond Roccoco Italian Cookie Recipe by Maria at She Loves Biscotti
  • Double Chocolate Mint Cookies by Diana at 365 Days of Easy Recipes
  • Eggnog Madeleines by Samantha at My Kitchen Love
  • Eisenbahner (Railroad) Cookies by Vicky at Tiny Sweet Tooth
  • Gluten Free Thumprint cookies by Jenn at One Heart One Family
  • Jewish Shortbread Cookie Pie by Jo-Anna at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
  • Nanny’s Molasses Cookies by Laura at Bluenose Baker
  • Peppermint Macarons by Cristina at I Say Nomato
  • Sablés Bretons with Chocolate Caramel Beurre Salé by Hilary at Cocoa Bean, the Vegetable
  • Stained Glass Gingerbread Cookies by Megan at Food & Whine
  • Stuffed Double Chocolate Turtle Cookies by Cassie at Crumb Kitchen
  • Thumbprint Caramel Shortbread Cookies by Kacey at The Cookie Writer
  • Toasted Flour Sablés by Kimberlie at The Finer Cookie
  • Triple Chocolate Pistachio Cookies by Marie at Food Nouveau
  • Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Ginger Crisps by Melanie at The Refreshanista
Toasted Flour Sablés, The Finer Cookie.
Toasted Flour Sablés, The Finer Cookie.

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