Sables Cookies

Cooling on the rack, the edges were rolled in Demerara sugar.
.Demerara has a natural caramel-like flavor; this lends warm,caramel notes to
whatever you add the sugar to.

Cut at 1/3 inch thick and spaced out on the parchment paper
to allow for spreading.

Whether you call them Sables, shortbread, or simply butter cookies,
this type of simple cookie is loved throughout the world.
Served with tea, or packed in a lunch, or maybe an afternoon
snack, dunked in a glass of cold milk.

This dough can be prepared ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap,
in the refrigerator, ready to bake up and serve at a moments notice.

My oldest brother is a huge fan of shortbread cookies, I might even dare to say
that shortbread cookies are his favorite cookies, but since
he considers himself a cookie aficionado, I don't know if he could
limit himself to just one cookie as a favorite.

I prepared these Sables cookies to give to him as a birthday treat.
I know he will be guarding the stash so that it will last as long as possible.

If preparing these during a holiday, roll the outside in colored sugar
to go with the occasion.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Source: Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted before measuring

1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour.

For the decoration (optional):

1 egg yolk

Large crystal or dazzle sugar, colored or plain

1. Working in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and continue to beat until smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in 2 egg yolks, again beating until well blended.

2. Turn off the mixer, pour in the flour, and pulse the mixer about 5 times at low speed for 1 or 2 seconds each time.  Then continuing at low speed, stir for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. If you still have some flour on the bottom of the bowl, stop mixing and use a rubber spatula to work the rest of it into the dough. The dough will not come together in a ball -- and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy dough. 

3. Scrape the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long. Wrap the logs well and chill them for at least 3 hours. The dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

4. When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

5. To decorate the edges of the sablés, whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Place one log of chilled dough on a piece of waxed paper and brush it with yolk (the glue), and then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with sugar. Trim the ends of the roll if they are ragged and slice the log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies.

6. Place the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each cookie, and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway point. The cookies should be golden brown around the edges when done.