Sable Cookies Classic French Butter Treats are the buttery cookies you can bake any day and serve. The dough is simple, the flavor is rich, and the texture is tender with a slight snap. This recipe always works: mix, chill, cut, and bake. No fancy tools, just a good bowl and a rolling pin.
The cookies keep their shape, bake evenly, and taste even better the next day. Make them for coffee, gifts, or a sweet bite after dinner-these classics never disappoint.
French Sable Cookies With Buttery Crunch
I bake sable cookies when I want something elegant without extra fuss. Good butter, a whisper of vanilla, and steady steps-that is all. The dough comes together fast, rests in the fridge, and rolls out smooth between two sheets of baking paper.
I often bake these cookies on Wednesday afternoons with my kids, right after school. They love cutting the shapes, and I love how quick and reliable the recipe is. I serve them plain with coffee, or dip half in chocolate when I want a little shine.
This recipe is tested many times, and the cookies bake golden every time. The batches freeze well, so I often keep a roll of dough ready for quick baking.
And if you like baking cookies, look at this page with all kinds of cookie recipes like World Peace Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and these beautiful (and delicious) Chimney cakes.
What do you need for the Sable Butter Cookies Recipe?
To prepare these French Sable Cookies, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Sable cookies ingredients
- Butter: Use the best unsalted butter you can buy. Because the butter will flavor these cookies, using the best you can get is essential.
- Sugar: For sweetening the cookies.
- Egg yolks: Egg yolks are added to the dough, ensuring the dough sticks better, keeps its form, and gets that creamy taste. The egg yolk is used to brush the cookies and give them a shiny topping.
- Salt: To balance the flavor in these Sable butter cookies.
- Vanilla - extract:For a hint of vanilla flavor. If you can get it, use natural vanilla extract, which has a slightly deeper flavor than artificial vanilla extract. With this recipe, you can make a homemade vanilla extract (and, if you bake a lot, it is highly recommended because you can use this for a reasonable amount of time).
- Flour: Use regular all-purpose flour for these butter cookies.
How to Make Classic Sable Cookies (Breton Cookies)
You can find a printable recipe with a detailed description at the bottom of this blog.
- Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and mix on high speed for 3 minutes. Add two egg yolks, salt, and vanilla extract and mix for another 2 minutes. Mix half of the flour, then add the remaining flour. Mix until the flour is just incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic and cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Put the sable dough on baking paper and cover it with a second sheet. Roll with a rolling pin until you've reached the desired thickness.
- Take a cookie cutter and cut out the cookies. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them cool for another fifteen minutes in the refrigerator. You'll probably need two baking sheets for this amount of cookie dough.
- Brush the top of the cookies with the egg yolk wash and bake them for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 320 °F (160 °C) until golden brown. Take the cookies off the baking sheet and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Tips for Crispy Sable Cookies Baked At Home
- Use good unsalted butter; it drives the flavor.
- Keep ingredients at room temperature for a smooth dough.
- Do not overmix after adding flour; this keeps the crumb tender.
- Roll between two sheets of baking paper for clean edges and no extra flour.
- Chill cut cookies before baking so they keep their shape.
- Brush with egg yolk wash for a glossy top.
- Make these delicious winter meringues or strawberry meringues from the leftover egg whites (depending on the season 😉 )
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
- You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
- And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
- 1½ stick butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 1½ cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Put butter and sugar in a bowl. Mix on high speed for 3 minutes.1½ stick butter, 1½ cup sugar
- Add two egg yolks, salt, and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes until smooth.2 egg yolks, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add half the flour. Mix on medium speed. Add the rest and mix until the flour is just combined. Do not overmix.2 cups all-purpose flour
- Wrap the dough in plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Place half the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Roll to ¼ inch (5 millimeter) thickness. Repeat with the rest.
- Cut cookies with a cutter. Remove the dough around the shapes so you do not need to move the cookies. Chill trays for 15 minutes.
- Heat the oven to
320 °F or 285 °F. - Whisk the extra egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the tops.1 egg yolk
- Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Citrus: Add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon or orange zest to the dough.
- Nut Topping: Sprinkle finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts after the egg wash.
- Jam Thumbprint: Roll small balls, press a dent, fill with a little jam, and bake.
- Chocolate-Dipped: Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate.
- Room Temperature: Airtight tin up to 7 days.
- Freezer (Baked): Up to 1 month in a sealed box. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
These amazing little cookies remind me a little of Scottish shortbread - anything with lots of butter makes me happy.
Nora says
Love this quick and easy cookie recipe! Perfect for dipping! I will add it to my Christmas cookie-baking list! Thank you!
Alexandra says
These cookies are just beautiful - simple to prepare and have a lovely delicate flavour. They are perfect with my cup of coffee.