Chocolate Chip Sablé Cookies
French-style chocolate chip sablé cookies with a sparkly sugar crust and buttery, tender texture.
These chocolate chip sablé cookies are buttery, sugar-coated icebox cookies your whole family will love! The tender, crumbly texture and hint of chocolate make them perfect for both everyday treats and special occasions. They’re my new favorite chocolate chip cookies!
Sablés are French shortbread-style cookies with a sandy texture and rich flavor. This variation includes chopped chocolate and is coated in sparkling or demerara sugar for a delicious crunch around the edges. Slice, bake, and enjoy—no rolling or cutting required.
Why You’ll Love It
Delicate texture. These cookies are crumbly and tender, just like classic French sablé cookies should be.
Chocolate inside, sugar outside. A perfect balance of richness and sparkle in every bite.
Slice-and-bake convenience. Easy to store and bake whenever you want a fresh batch.
Perfect for gifting. These hold up well and look beautiful with their golden sugar crust.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Make sure it’s fully softened—this helps create the light, fluffy texture when creamed.
- Chocolate: Use a good-quality bar—semisweet, bittersweet, or milk—chopped finely. Sift out the chocolate dust for clean edges.
- Sugars: This dough uses a combination of brown sugar and confectioners’ sugar for moisture and tenderness.
- Eggs: You’ll use two yolks in the dough and reserve one egg white for brushing the cookie logs before rolling in sugar.
- Sanding/Demerara sugar: Gives the cookies their beautiful crunchy, sparkly edge.
Steps to Make Chocolate Chip Sablé Cookies
- Chop the chocolate and sift out any dust for a neater appearance. Cream the butter with the brown sugar and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Mix in the flour just until combined, then fold in the chopped chocolate.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each portion into a log about 8 to 9 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. To help maintain a round shape, nestle the wrapped logs inside a cut paper towel tube tied with twine.
- Before baking, whisk the reserved egg white until foamy. Brush it over the chilled cookie log and roll it in sanding or sparkling sugar. Slice the dough into ½-inch rounds and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F until lightly golden on the bottoms—about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead Tip
The dough logs can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen until you’re ready to bake.Recipe Variations
- Use mint or white chocolate. Replace some or all of the chopped chocolate with mint or white chocolate for a flavor twist.
- Color the sugar. Use red, green, or pastel sugar for holiday or seasonal themes. Black or orange for Halloween, green or red for Christmas, or pastels for Easter.
- Try nuts instead. Skip the chocolate and use finely chopped pecans or walnuts instead.
How to Store
Refrigerate: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freeze: Freeze baked cookies or dough logs in a sealed container or bag for up to 3 months. Label with name and date.
Chocolate Chip Sablé Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup 71 grams dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup 38 grams confectioners’ sugar
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/3 cups 280 grams flour
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup sanding sugar or sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the chopped chocolate. Chop the chocolate and put it in a mesh sieve to sift out the dust, if desired. Set the chopped chocolate aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and confectioners’ sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Make the cookie dough. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Reserve an egg white and refrigerate it. This will be used to coat the logs before baking. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining egg white to use another day, or discard it. With the mixer on low, add the flour and beat until combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate.
- Shape logs and chill. Divide the cookie dough into 2 portions. Place 1 portion on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into an 8 to 9-inch log. Wrap it well with the plastic wrap and place it in an empty paper towel roll, if desired. Repeat with the remaining portion and refrigerate the logs for 3 hours or overnight.
- Prep the oven and baking sheets. When it’s time to bake, heat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Coat the logs with egg wash and sugar. Whisk the reserved egg white and brush over the log. Coat the log with sanding or sparkling sugar.
- Slice and bake. Cut the logs into 1/2-inch slices and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat with the second log of dough.
