This cookie, called sablé Breton, is a classic French recipe from Brittany. I’ve learned many versions, and this is my favorite. I love the sandy texture, something between a crisp cookie and a sponge. The dough is also a great foil for different spices and salts.

　　

Ingredients

makes about forty 2-inch cookies

　　14 tablespoons (198g) unsalted butter, softened

　　6 large egg yolks

　　1 cup (200g) sugar

　　2 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour

　　1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder

　　1 teaspoon (4g) coarse salt

　　

Step 1

Cut the butter into pieces and put it in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat at medium-high speed until fluffy.

　　

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Add to the butter and beat until combined.

　　

Step 3

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low just to combine. Don’t overmix.

　　

Step 4

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a brick and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate one package for at least 1 hour and freeze the other for up to 3 months.

　　

Step 5

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Use a 2-inch cutter to cut the cookies, and place them on a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection.

　　

Step 7

Bake the cookies until they are just beginning to color, 8 to 10 minutes. For the best-looking cookies, cut them again with the 2-inch cutter while they are still hot. Let cool.

　　

Step 8

These are best served the day they’re made.

　　Cooks' Note

　　To bake the frozen dough, you must first defrost it in the refrigerator, before proceeding with the recipe.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__