Description
Classic French shortbread cookies, known as sablés, are buttery, crumbly, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Made with six simple pantry staples, they come together quickly without chilling overnight. Perfect for holidays, gifts, or tea time, these elegant cookies are forgiving and adaptable, with variations for chocolate, nutty, gluten-free, and vegan versions.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, softened: 1 cup (2 sticks)
- Powdered sugar: ½ cup
- All-purpose flour: 2 cups
- Cornstarch: ¼ cup
- Salt: ¼ tsp
- Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and mix well.
3. In another bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill for 20 minutes.
5. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on prepared sheets. Re-roll scraps once.
6. Bake for 12–15 minutes. The edges should be barely golden. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then move to a wire rack.
Notes
For nutty version: swap ¼ cup flour for almond flour and add ½ tsp almond extract.
For chocolate version: replace 2 tbsp flour with cocoa powder.
Add 1 tbsp orange or lemon zest for citrus flavor.
For gluten-free: use 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
For vegan: use plant butter and skip egg wash if using.
Measure flour correctly: spoon into cup and level with a knife.
Keep dough cool; if soft, chill again.
Use light-colored baking sheet.
Underbake slightly for perfect crumbly texture.
Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, layered with parchment paper.
Reheat in 300°F oven for 5 minutes. Never microwave.
Serve with tea, coffee, berries, ice cream, or drizzle with chocolate.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 25 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
Keywords: french shortbread cookies, sablés, butter cookies, shortbread, French cookies, easy cookies