• Cooking Tips
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclosure/Privacy
  • Recipe Index

Sign Up for My Newsletter and free EBook ✉️
  • Home
  • About Me – Rosemary Molloy
    • Contact
    • Disclosure/Privacy
  • Recipes
  • Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Chocolate
    • Eggs
    • Fish & Seafood
    • fruit
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Potatoes
    • Vegetables
  • Course
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast / Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Pasta
    • Casseroles & Bakes
    • Pizza / Bread
    • Salads
    • Soups & Stews
  • Desserts
    • Cookies & Bars
    • Donuts & Pastries
    • Frostings & Glazes
    • Homemade Candy
    • Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
    • Muffins & Sweet Breads
    • No-Bake Desserts
    • Tarts & Pies
  • Seasons
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fall/Winter
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
  • American Favorites
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Breakfast / Brunch
    • Drinks
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes

Sign Up for My Newsletter and free EBook ✉️

An Italian in my Kitchen

Authentic Italian Recipes

  • Recipes
  • Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Chocolate
    • Eggs
    • Fish & Seafood
    • fruit
    • Nuts
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Potatoes
    • Vegetables
  • Course
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast / Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Pasta
    • Casseroles & Bakes
    • Pizza / Bread
    • Salads
    • Soups & Stews
    • Desserts
      • Cookies & Bars
      • Donuts & Pastries
      • Frostings & Glazes
      • Homemade Candy
      • Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
      • Muffins & Sweet Breads
      • No-Bake Desserts
      • Tarts & Pies
  • Seasons
    • Cooking Tips for Making it Italian
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fall/Winter
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Recipe Collections
  • American Favorites
    • Drinks
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Desserts
Home » Desserts » Cookies & Bars » French Sable Cookies

French Sable Cookies

By: Rosemary Published: December 14, 2019 Updated on: December 21, 2022

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These delicious French Sable Cookies also known as Breton Cookies are a simple buttery crumbly French butter cookie. A must try this Holiday Season.

There’s nothing better then a Christmas Time Butter Cookie, I like to include not only this French one but also an Italian Butter Cookie on my Christmas Cookie Tray.

one tree and 3 stars with some cookies on a plate and a spoon of sparkling sugar on a grey board

Italians aren’t big on shortbread but they do love their Butter Cookies, and Sable Cookies are very popular here at Christmas time.

I recently bought Dorie Greenspan’s Cookbook “Baking from my home to yours”, a  fabulous book.

I happened to come across her recipe for Sable Cookies and I knew I would have to give it a try. I even ordered some sparkling sugar to roll them in!

And yes they are as delicious as I imagined. Now I know why the Italians love to make them too.

sable cookies on a grey board and some in a white plate with sugar on a spoon and in a jar

Table of Contents

  • How to make French Sable Cookies
      • Never Miss a Recipe!
  • How long does the dough last in the fridge?
  • Can the dough be frozen
  • What are Sable Cookies
  • How to know when the cookies are done
  • How to store them
  • How to freeze the cookies
  • More Delicious Christmas Cookies to make
  • French Sable Cookies
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
      • *Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.
      • EXTRAS
    • Instructions 
    • Nutrition

How to make French Sable Cookies

  • In the bowl of the mixer cream the butter on medium speed, then add the sugars and salt, beat for one minute.
creaming butter, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl
  • Reduce the speed to low, add the egg yolks and vanilla beat for one minute.
  • Scrape the bowl.
creaming butter and adding egg yolks
  • Continue on low speed and add the flour a little at a time.
adding the flour to the dough in the mixing bowl
Subscribe Today

Never Miss a Recipe!

Subscribe today and receive my free e-book of recipes!

    We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
    • Mix just until combined, the dough will be soft.
    • There may be flour remaining at the bottom of the bowl, mix it into the dough with a spatula.
    mixing the dough until just combined in the mixing bowl
    • Place the dough on a lightly floured flat surface and knead gently into a ball.
    • Divide the dough into two parts. I formed one into a log and one into a ball. The log is for slice and bake and the round is for cut out cookies. You can do the same or do one or the other.
    • Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least three hours.
    forming the dough into a ball and a log and wrapping in plastic
    • Remove the dough from the fridge.
    • Brush the log with an egg wash, then sprinkle it with sparkling sugar, cut into 1/3″ slices and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
    brushing the log with egg wash and cutting the slices and placing on cookie sheet
    • or roll the dough on a lightly floured flat surface and cut out with your favourite cookie cutters.
    • Place the cut outs on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
    rolling out the dough to make cut out cookies and on a cookie sheet
    • Refrigerate the cookies again while the oven is pre-heating.
    • Bake for about 15-17 minutes.
    the baked sable cookies on a cookie sheet
    • After a few minutes remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and carefully place on a wire rack to cool completely.

    How long does the dough last in the fridge?

    The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to three days. If you are making cut out cookies the dough will probably be too hard to roll, so let it sit for about 15-20 minutes before rolling and cutting.

    Can the dough be frozen

    The dough can be frozen, be sure to wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag or container. It will keep for up to two months.

    What are Sable Cookies

    Sablé are also known as Sable Breton or French Butter Cookies. These cookies originated in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in France. They are apparently as popular in France as Chocolate Chip cookies in North America.

    The name Sable means sand in French, which refers to the sandy texture of these tender and crumbly cookies.

    sliced sable cookies with cut out cookies on a white plate stand

    How to know when the cookies are done

    The cookies take about 15-17 minutes to bake, when they are light brown on bottom and lightly golden around the edges, but still pale on top, they are ready.

    How to store them

    The cookies should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dry room, they will keep for up to a week.

    How to freeze the cookies

    The cookies should be placed in a freezer safe bag or container. They will keep for up to four weeks in the freezer if stored properly.

    More Delicious Christmas Cookies to make

    • Lemon Sugar Cookies
    • Triple Nut Biscotti
    • Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies

    So if you would like to add a Butter Cookie to your baking list this year I hope you give these French Sable Cookies a try and let me know what you think. Happy Baking!

    christmas tree sable cut out cookie on a grey board with 2 star cookies
    christmas tree sable cut out cookie on a grey board with 3 star cookies

    French Sable Cookies

    Rosemary Molloy
    These delicious French Sable Cookies also known as Breton Cookies are a simple buttery crumbly French butter cookie.
    5 from 28 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Chilling Time 3 hrs
    Total Time 3 hrs 25 mins
    Course Christmas Cookies, cookies
    Cuisine French
    Servings 34 cookies
    Calories 96 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup salted butter* (210 grams)
    • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
    • 1/2 cup powdered / icing sugar (sifted) (60 grams)
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
    • 2 cups all purpose flour (255 grams)
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

    *Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.

      EXTRAS

      • 1 medium egg
      • 1 tablespoon milk
      • 1/4-1/3 cup sparkling or granulated sugar (50-66 grams)

      Instructions
       

      • In the bowl of the mixer cream the butter on medium speed, then add the sugars and salt, beat for one minute. Reduce the speed to low then add the egg yolks and vanilla beat for one minute. Be sure to scrape the bowl.
      • Continue on low speed and add the flour in three additions, combining as you add.
      • Mix the dough just until combined, the dough will be soft. There may be flour remaining at the bottom of the bowl, mix it into the dough with a spatula.
      • Place the dough on a lightly floured flat surface and knead gently into a ball. Divide the dough into two parts. I formed one into a log about 8-9 inches (20-22 cm) and one into a ball. The log is for slice and bake and the round is for cut out cookies. You can do the same or do one or the other. (If you make of the same type of cookie, be sure to make either two logs or two rounds for easier handling of the dough). Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least three hours.
      • Remove the dough from the fridge. Brush the log with the egg wash (in a small bowl beat together the egg and milk), then sprinkle it with sparkling sugar, cut into 1/3" slices and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
      • To make the cut-out cookies, roll the dough on a lightly floured flat surface and cut out with your favourite cookie cutters. Place the cut outs on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sparkling sugar or granulated sugar. No egg wash needed.
      • Refrigerate the cookies again while the oven is pre-heating at 325F (160C).
      • Once the oven is ready remove the cookies, one sheet at a time from the fridge and bake 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are light brown on the bottom and lightly golden around the edges but still pale on top.
      • After 2-3 minutes carefully remove the cookies with a metal spatula from the cookie sheet and carefully place on a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

      Nutrition

      Calories: 96kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 51mgPotassium: 11mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 175IUCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg
      Keyword breton cookies, french butter cookies, sable cookies
      Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

      Share

      Share
      Pin
      Email

      Subscribe Today

      Never Miss a Recipe!

      Subscribe today and receive my free e-book of recipes!

        We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.


        Christmas Cookies, Cookies & Bars, Eggs, Most Posts

        Related

        Comments

          Leave a Reply Cancel reply

          Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

          Recipe Rating




          This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

        1. Michelle says

          December 29, 2022 at 1:03 am

          5 stars
          I constantly find recipes that sound fairly straightforward, follow them exactly, and still fail. This is the first recipe I have ever commented on because it came out perfectly!!

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            December 29, 2022 at 5:25 pm

            Hi Michelle, thanks so much, so glad it worked for you. Take care and Happy New Year!

            Reply
        2. Jamie says

          December 18, 2022 at 10:47 pm

          5 stars
          We all loved these! Simple, yet delicious. Can I add orange zest and a couple of tablespoons of orange juice to this recipe without ruining it?

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            December 19, 2022 at 6:45 pm

            Hi Jamie, thanks so much glad everyone enjoyed them. I don’t see why you couldn’t, instead of the vanilla you could add orange extract. I would probably add zest, adding orange juice might make the dough too wet (although you could add a bit more flour) and then the cookies spread. Let me know how it goes. Take care

            Reply
        3. Nan says

          December 13, 2022 at 2:46 pm

          Hello,
          I Am so excited to make this recipe as I love the sables I buy from a French gourmet market in my town. I am just curious about how I’ve noticed that sable recipes seem to omit baking powder whereas ordinary sugar cookies calls for it. Is this deliberately and is there some science to it? -sorry for technical question

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            December 13, 2022 at 10:54 pm

            Hi Nan, thanks, I hope you like them. Sable cookies are more of a shortbread texture than sugar cookies, therefore no baking powder, you want a denser cookie, baking powder will make them lighter and rise higher. Hope that helps. Take care!

            Reply
        4. Sadie says

          October 5, 2022 at 5:35 pm

          5 stars
          Excellent butter cookies. Very similar to a shortbread. They’re tender but not fragile and are nice and buttery. The egg yolks give them a rich yellow colour. I doubled the vanilla and added a pinch of nutmeg. The dough handled beautifully and was firm enough to roll smoothly after being chilled for 45 minutes. The cookies baked up level and smooth and kept their cookie cutter shape. I followed the metric measures. I was skeptical about the butter measure since 1 cup of butter is most commonly rated 225 – 227 grams on popular baking sites, but the dough wasn’t dry or crumbly with 210 grams of butter. I rolled the dough to 1/4″ thickness, and the cookies baked for 17 minutes.

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            October 7, 2022 at 6:48 pm

            Hi Sadie, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed them. When I measure butter here it always comes out as 210 grams for a cup. I have no idea why. So my old recipes are usually based on that and my new ones I have calculated using 225 grams. Have a great weekend. Take care.

            Reply
        5. coco says

          June 28, 2022 at 3:21 am

          5 stars
          I haven’t tried this yet. I would like to know if I can freeze the dough before baking. Thank you

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            June 29, 2022 at 11:39 pm

            Hi coco, yes you can freeze cookie dough. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer, place in freezer safe container or bag. You could even cut out the cookies and freeze the unbaked cookies on a cookie sheet until firm then move to a freezer save container.

            Reply
        6. Rashida says

          June 23, 2022 at 8:09 pm

          5 stars
          Absolutely divine. Resisting the urge to gobble them all up in one sitting was tough 🙂

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            June 24, 2022 at 4:52 pm

            Hi Rashida, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care and have a great weekend.

            Reply
        7. Lithenna says

          December 17, 2019 at 12:26 pm

          5 stars
          Beautiful recipe! And those cookies do look like the sable ones we have in France! Well done!

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            December 17, 2019 at 3:03 pm

            Thank you so much Lithenna, they are so good.

            Reply
        8. Patricia H says

          December 15, 2019 at 2:39 am

          Hi Rosemary. The Sablé cookies sound wonderful. I plan to make them as cut outs. I have a few quick questions.
          When the dough is rolled out is the thickness to be about 1/3 “? Can I use Christmas sprinkles instead of the granulated sugar? Thirdly, can the scraps be re rolled to cut out additional cookies?

          Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I really enjoy your blog
          Patricia

          Reply
          • Rosemary says

            December 15, 2019 at 10:39 am

            Hi Patricia I am sure sprinkles would work and yes definitely re roll the scraps. They will be chilled while the oven is pre-heating so it will be fine. Let me know how it goes.

            Reply

        Hi, I'm Rosemary.

        Living in Italy I learned to cook authentic Italian dishes using whole ingredients, fresh veggies and delicious spices. So take a seat and have a taste! Read More

        Most Popular

        pizza dough 3 rounds on parchment paper

        Best Pizza Dough

        puff pastry cut in half stacked.

        Quick & Easy Homemade Puff Pastry

        Homemade Potato Gnocchi

        Pieces of fudge on parchment paper.

        Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

        Sauce and pasta in a bowl with some on a fork.

        Authentic Bolognese Sauce

        5 stacked lemon cookies.

        Italian Lemon Cookies

        Filter By Date

        Readers Favorite Trending Recipes

        Ricotta cake on a glass cake stand.

        Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake

        pizza dough 3 rounds on parchment paper

        Best Pizza Dough

        puff pastry cut in half stacked.

        Quick & Easy Homemade Puff Pastry

        Homemade Potato Gnocchi

        Ingredients.

        • Beef
        • Chicken
        • Chocolate
        • Eggs
        • Fish & Seafood
        • Pasta
        • Pork

        Course.

        • Appetizers & Snacks
        • Breakfast / Brunch
        • Drinks
        • Lunch
        • Main Dish

        Browse.

        • About Me – Rosemary Molloy
        • Contact
        • Disclosure/Privacy
        • Recipe Index
        Copyright ©2023, An Italian in my Kitchen. All Rights Reserved.
        Design by Pixel Me Designs