by Diana Rattray
French sablé shortbread cookies are wonderful, crumbly cookies that are bursting with buttery flavor. This version, with cinnamon in the cookie and the coating, is perfect for winter holidays. If you like snickerdoodles, you will love these snickerdoodle sablés! The cookies aren’t chewy like traditional sablés, but the texture is incredible.
I used sparkling sugar for the coating, which gave the cookies a truly delicious cinnamon flavored crunch, but feel free to use sanding sugar or plain granulated sugar. Large-crystal demerara sugar would be excellent as well.
Allow at least 2 hours chilling time for the sablé logs. The logs should be very firm for slicing. I like to slice them about 1/2-inch thick, but feel free to slice them a little thinner if you like, and adjust the baking time accordingly. The dough is a bit soft and sticky, so you’ll need to roll it up in plastic wrap. To keep the logs from flattening on one side, I put the wrapped log in an empty paper towel tube and tie it loosely with twine.
PrintSnickerdoodle Sablé Cookies
If you like snickerdoodles, you will love these snickerdoodle sablés! The delicate sandy texture and sparkling cinnamon-sugar coating will please all of your cookie recipients!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (38 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Snickerdoodle Coating
- 1/4 cup sparkling sugar or sanding sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine the flour and salt; set aside.
- In a small bowl combine 1/3 cup of granulated sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon; mix to blend.
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and cinnamon mixture and the confectioners’ sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well blended. Put the egg white in a bowl or cup and refrigerate it until it’s time to bake.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until the mixture is combined.
- Divide the dough into 2 portions. Place one portion on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll up to form a log about 8 or 9 inches in length. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Tip: To keep refrigerator cookies from flattening on one side, cut 1 side of a paper towel tube lengthwise and place the plastic-wrapped roll of cookie dough in it. Refrigerate for 2 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Heat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine 1/4 cup of sanding or sparkling sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Whisk the egg white and brush over a roll of dough. Coat the log with sparkling or sanding sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining log.
- Cut the logs into slices about 1/2-inch in thickness and arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 14 to 18 minutes, until just lightly browned on the bottoms.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes; transfer to racks to cool completely.
