You know how certain baked delights are simply impossible to resist? Like the chocolate brownie from which you keep slicing slivers only to return for more?
Or, in this case, the French butter cookies you declared to yourself that you'll just eat one of only to discover your plate filled with French butter cookies is magically empty?
Because trust me, friends, these French butter cookies will have you reaffirming just how much you love butter in your baked goods. There simply is no replacement for some good ol’ fashioned butter.
The French know this. They revere it, in fact. While most of us balance our meals with healthy fats like olive oil and avocados, they’re celebrating butter in all its glory.
So this article brings to you a classic French butter cookies recipe that will bring your friends and neighbors flocking to your house just to have a taste. So grab your baking mittens, and let’s bake some irresistibly delicious French butter cookies together!
French Butter Cookies?! What’s so French About It?
Softened, melted, clarified, salted – you name it, the French truly cherish these French butter cookies1https://thegardeningfoodie.com/french-butter-cookies/. These French butter biscuits will remind you how much you like butter in baked products. There is just no substitute for genuine old-fashioned butter.
The French are well aware of this. They even worship it. While most of us supplement our diets with healthy fats such as avocados and olive oil, they're showcasing butter in all its splendor. French Butter cookies are crisp, rich, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delectable. These traditional cookies are really simple to create with just five basic ingredients!
French butter cookies, or Sable because that's what they are called in French, are undoubtedly France's most popular cookies. Crisp on the surface, yet crumbly and buttery on the interior. When coated in sugar and cut, they form a lovely sparkly ring around the cooked cookies. They are wonderful as a present or for any occasion.
The dough is incredibly simple to make ahead of time and then just slice and bake.
Nutritional Information of French Butter Cookies Per Serving (1 cookie)
- Calories: 101kcal
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Protein: 1g
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 11mg
- Sodium: 60mg
- Potassium: 12mg
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Sugar: 6g
- Calcium: 4mg
- Iron: 0.4mg
The Recipe for French Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Servings: 18 - 20 cookies
Equipments & Kitchen Utensils Used: Measuring cup, spatula, medium & small-sized mixing bowls, plastic wrap, refrigerator, oven, timer, baking sheet, parchment paper or baking silicone mat, tray or large plate, and an airtight jar.
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature: To help hold the dough together, only a single egg yolk is required. It also helps to improve the texture and taste of the cookies2https://www.monpetitfour.com/french-butter-cookies/. Allow the egg yolk to be at room temp before blending in.
- ½ cup of butter softened to room temperature (check recipe notes): Use whatever you have on hand, salted or unsalted. If you're using unsalted butter, season your flour with a touch of salt. Salted butter eliminates the need for salt in the recipe. Make sure your butter is at room temperature.
- ½ cup of powdered sugar (sift the powdered before measuring): It quickly combines with the butter to make a smooth creamy consistency and is also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar.
- 1⅛ cups of all-purpose or cake flour (check recipe notes): Use cake flour, all-purpose flour, or plain flour. Avoid using self-rising flour. Self-rising flour is not suggested since it alters the taste and texture, making the dish thick rather than crisp and airy.
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar for coating the shaped dough, before baking.
The Recipe for Irresistible French Butter Cookies
This is merely an overview to show you how the process works. You should use the complete recipe at the page bottom while baking. To make the dough, all you need is a bowl and a spatula.
That is why it is preferable to have your butter softened to room temp. When combined with a spatula, it makes it much simpler to deal with.
1. Prepare the dough
- Cream the sugar and butter together: Mix the sugar and butter together with a spatula until the mixture is light in texture and pale in color.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and egg yolk until well-mixed.
- Sift flour the flour inside: Stir in the sifted flour to make a soft dough.
2. Put the dough in the refrigerator
- Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes after wrapping it in plastic wrap.
3. The dough should be divided and rolled.
- Take out the dough from the fridge and divide it into two equal halves.
- Roll or shape each piece into a cylindrical shape about 4 inches (10 cm) long and 1 inch (3 cm) thick.
4. The formed dough should be frozen.
- Wrap the cylinder forms in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for 45 minutes.
5. Roll in sugar, slice, and bake
- Remove from the freezer and unwrap the shaped dough
- Roll each of the cylinder-shaped dough in sugar, coating them evenly.
- Slice into 0.4 inches (1cm) thick disks, and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden.
- Remove the tray from the oven but leave the cookies on the baking tray for 5 minutes. The baked cookies will be soft when you take them out of the oven but crisp as they cool.
- After 5 minutes on the baking tray, the cookies will be firm and crisp enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
- Once completely cool and store the cookies in an airtight jar.
Recipe Notes
- Typically, half a cup of salted butter contains a quarter teaspoon of salt in the butter. Therefore, if you're using unsalted butter in this recipe, you'll want to add a scant half teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- To make these cookies, use an European, salted type of butter for its superior flavor. After all, the butter is the main attraction here.
- While substituting a generic salted butter brand won't ruin the dish, why not let the main ingredient shine? That is why I maintain that it is better not to scrimp on quality when it comes to this element.
- Aside from the premium butter, the rest of the components are pantry staples that you most likely already have on hand.
- All-purpose flour, vanilla, sugar, and egg extract are among the ingredients. Although the ingredient list is short, this does not diminish the power of these cookies.
- Butter: Use what you have, either salted or unsalted. If you are using unsalted butter, then add a pinch of salt to your flour. Salted butter will not require adding salt to the recipe. Get the butter out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking. All the ingredients are incorporated much easier and quicker in soft butter. This also prevents overworking the dough, which produces dense instead of crispy cookies.
- Flour: Use either cake flour, all-purpose or plain flour. Do not use self-rising flour. Self-rising flour is not recommended as it changes the flavor and texture, making it dense instead of crisp and light.
- Do not skip the steps of chilling the dough: First after mixing (refrigerated for 20 minutes) and second, after dividing and shaping into a cylinder (freezing for 45 minutes) These are important steps. The first refrigeration firms the dough, making it easy to roll into a cylinder. The second time (freezing) cools and forms the cylinder shapes making it easy to slice into disks.
- Refrigerate the dough if it becomes difficult to handle: The dough has a high ratio of butter and can get difficult to work with if it gets too warm. If the dough gets too warm, simply put it back into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. This helps to cool the butter, making the dough much easier to work with.
- Ensure that your butter is softened to room temperature: Get it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking. All the ingredients are incorporated much easier and quicker in soft butter. This also prevents overworking the dough, which produces dense instead of crispy cookies.
- Refrigerate the dough if it becomes difficult to handle: The dough has a high ratio of butter and can get difficult to work with if it gets too warm. If the dough gets too warm, simply put it back into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. This helps to cool the butter, making the dough much easier to work with.
- Do not skip the steps of chilling the dough: First after mixing (refrigerated for 20 minutes) and second, after dividing and shaping into a cylinder (freezing for 45 minutes) These are important steps. The first refrigeration firms the dough, making it easy to roll into a cylinder. The second time (freezing) cools and forms the cylinder shapes making it easy to slice into disks.
- Adjust the baking time if cutting the cookies thinner or thicker than specified in the recipe.
Indulge in the Irresistible Delights of French Butter Cookies
In conclusion, French butter cookies offer a delectable journey for your taste buds. These melt-in-your-mouth treats bring together the richness of butter, the delicate sweetness of sugar, and the aromatic flavors that make them truly unforgettable.
Whether you enjoy them with a cup of tea, as an afternoon snack, or as a gift for someone special, French butter cookies are sure to delight. Their simplicity in ingredients and preparation allows you to bring a touch of French elegance to your home kitchen3https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/french-butter-cookies/.
With just a few basic pantry staples and a bit of love, you can create a batch of these classic cookies that will transport you to the charming streets of Paris.
Remember to experiment with different variations, shapes, and decorations to personalize your French butter cookies and make them uniquely yours.
Whether you enjoy the traditional round-shaped cookies or explore creative twists with added flavors and fillings, the possibilities are endless. So, go ahead and embark on your culinary adventure with French butter cookies.
Enjoy the delicate texture, buttery goodness, and timeless charm they bring to every bite. Let the aroma fill your kitchen and the taste transport you to the enchanting world of French pastry. Bon appétit!
Additional resources and citations
- 1
- 2https://www.monpetitfour.com/french-butter-cookies/
- 3https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/french-butter-cookies/
Decadent Delights! | Exploring the Irresistible World of French Butter Cookies with a Killer Recipe, Pics, and FAQs
Softened, melted, clarified, salted – you name it, the French truly cherish these French butter cookies. These French butter biscuits will remind you how much you like butter in baked products. There is just no substitute for genuine old-fashioned butter.
Type: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keywords: French Butter Cookies
Recipe Yield: 18-20 Cookies
Calories: 101kcal
Preparation Time: 20M
Cooking Time: 12M
Total Time: 32M
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- ½ cup of butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 1⅛ cups of all-purpose or cake flour
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
Recipe Instructions:
Prepare the dough:
Step 1:
Mix the sugar and butter together with a spatula until the mixture is light in texture and pale in color.
Step 2:
Mix in the vanilla extract and egg yolk until well-mixed.
Step 3:
Stir in the sifted flour to make a soft dough.
Put the dough in the refrigerator:
Step 4:
Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes after wrapping it in plastic wrap.
The dough should be divided and rolled:
Step 5:
Take out the dough from the fridge and divide it into two equal halves.
Step 6:
Roll or shape each piece into a cylindrical shape about 4 inches (10 cm) long and 1 inch (3 cm) thick.
The formed dough should be frozen:
Step 7:
Wrap the cylinder forms in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Roll in sugar, slice, and bake:
Step 8:
Remove from the freezer and unwrap the shaped dough.
Step 9:
Roll each of the cylinder-shaped dough in sugar, coating them evenly.
Step 10:
Slice into 0.4 inches (1cm) thick disks, and place on a baking sheet.
Step 11:
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden.
Step 12:
Remove the tray from the oven but leave the cookies on the baking tray for 5 minutes. The baked cookies will be soft when you take them out of the oven but crisp as they cool.
Step 13:
After 5 minutes on the baking tray, the cookies will be firm and crisp enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 14:
Once completely cool and store the cookies in an airtight jar.
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