Use a variety of holiday cookie cutters to make these classic French shortbreads.
Ingredients
Makes about 30
Step 1
Mix flour, walnuts, baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Shape dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about 15 minutes.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using assorted cutters, cut out cookies. Transfer cookies to prepared sheets. Gather dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used. Sprinkle cookies with raw sugar, pressing lightly to adhere.
Step 3
Bake sablés until light golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely. (Can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
*Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and natural foods stores.
Leave a Review
Reviews (7)
Back to TopThese are a good tea cookie. They are dry and crumbly - so NOT for people who like moist cookies. I was surprised to see baking powder in a sables recipe, but it makes these cookies a little less dense than traditional sables. Toasting the walnuts AFTER they are chopped really brings out the walnut flavor. The second time I made this recipe I left off the raw sugar and drizzled the cookies after they had cooled with melted chocolate - which I thought much improved the taste. Chocolate is such a good compliment to walnuts. I'm a reasonably patient cook, but don't enjoy fussing with cookie cutters, so I rolled these out in a slab and cut them into small diamonds.
Anonymous
2/23/2011
So, if I substituted granulated sugar for confectioner's sugar in this recipe, would it be a one-to-one substitution? I cannot stand the cornstarch flavor and texture in confectioner's sugar.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
12/22/2010
These are very good cookies. The oven temperature in the recipe is 325 F and it works just fine!
Anonymous
Forest Hills, NY
12/8/2009
I make these cookies every year and they are very good. It's a quick, easy, yet elegant addition to christmas baking.
Anonymous
Vancouver, WA
12/23/2008
These were just OK. The oven temp is way to high for a rolled cookie. The first tray was too brown on the bottom while the tops were still pale. I lowered it to 350 with better results but the taste was average at best. If you want a much better nut cookie try the mexican wedding cakes on this site. They are out of this world!
Anonymous
Long Island
12/13/2008
These were great and easy to do.
Anonymous
atlanta
1/2/2005
I made these exactly to the recipe. They were delicious!! I did shorten the baking time a little. Just watch closely.
Anonymous
Harrisburg, PA
12/29/2004
