It’s a joy to be baking again!
The last couple of months have been hectic, and I haven’t had much time to spend in the kitchen. I still don’t have the emotional reserve to be experimenting with new recipes yet, but I spent last weekend filling the freezer with rolls of frozen cookie doughs, including old favourites like Dorie’s World Peace Cookies.
I also indulged in a big batch of Chocolate Sablés. These are oh-so-good – crumbly, short and very moreish. I blogged about them in 2010, and they’re every bit as good today as they were five years ago. I haven’t changed a single thing in the recipe. Here it is again – I hope you enjoy them as much as I always do…
Chocolate Sablés
(adapted from a recipe in Fran Bigelow’s Pure Chocolate)
- 240g (8oz) semisweet chocolate (I used Callebaut 811 54% cacao)
- 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 220g (1 cup)white sugar
- 1 large (59g) egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used homemade)
- 140g (just under 1 cup) plain (AP) flour
- 170g (1 cup) potato starch flour
- 55g (½ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa
- pinch of fine sea salt
- Demerara or raw sugar for decorating
1. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, potato flour and cocoa together. Even if you don’t normally sift, make an exception this time, or the cocoa and potato flour will be lumpy and won’t mix properly. I think the sifting also lightens the flour to create a crumblier cookie. Stir in the salt.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on high – use short bursts and stir frequently, making sure you don’t scorch the chocolate. Allow this to cool, but not set up.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium until smooth and pale, then add the sugar and continue beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides often and expect to beat the mixture for a good 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla until blended. Add the melted chocolate and mix on low to medium until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as required.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Finish by stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula if there are little bits of flour left unincorporated.
6. Put the bowl in the fridge for 10 – 20 minutes until the dough is firm enough to handle, but not too stiff.
7. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on the counter, and pour over a generous amount of Demerara sugar (about ¼ cup). Shape half the dough into a thick log (about 6cm or 2½” in diameter) and roll it in the sugar until the sides are well coated (leave the ends uncoated). Wrap the log in a sheet of parchment or cling film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Repeat with the remaining dough. The logs can remain in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for longer storage.
8. When it’s time to bake, preheat the oven to 175C/350F or 160C /320F (fan assisted). Remove a log of dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for about 10 minutes.
9. Slice the log into 6mm/¼” thick discs. Lay the slices onto parchment lined trays, leaving 2½ cm/1″ between each.
10. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until the cookies have expanded and move slightly when very gently prodded. Bigelow’s instructions say to bake “until the tops are dull”. Remove the sablés from the oven and allow them to rest very briefly before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool. They’re very fragile – be prepared to eat any broken ones!
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I made four rolls (a double batch) and froze three of them for another day. Each batch makes at least 50 cookies. I’ve packaged them in lots of five for sharing with the neighbours…
Hope you’re all having a lovely week! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Lovely, looks like I will be baking these also! Thank you, cheers!
Celia, so good to see you are baking again… you’ve surfed some incredibly harsh waters….
I have sables on my list to bake for what seems like forever… for one reason or another I just dream about them – I don’t think I ever had this type of cookie, not even while living in France. Mistakes. To be corrected soon…
Baking is very therapeutic (as is chocolate) – I’m glad to see you are beginning to get back to it. Big hugs.
Glad to see you have the time to enjoy baking again. Chocolate and cookies, you really can’t go wrong with that. I can almost smell and taste them all the way over here!
They look great! Is there any way they can be made without egg?
I’m sorry, I don’t have a recipe for one without egg, but do try the world peace cookies (link at the top of the post) – they’re egg-free and very moreish. :)
I too love to have a few rolls of cookies in the freezer. These look so tasty and delicate.
Fortunately I’ve just has lunch. Better timing than the last luscious post of yours. :)
Getting back in the kitchen helps, I’m glad your slowly finding your way back. Take your time! Big cyber hugs.
Lovely rich sables Celia and good to see you back in the kitchen.x
They look lovely. I always think of you when I make Pete’s favourite chocolate biscuits! I haven’t managed to look in for a couple of months while trying to finish some study. Fondest wishes. E.
I love recipes like these where you can freeze the dough and bake fresh. Celia I take it that it’s necessary to use the potato starch flour rather than substituting more plain flour?
Rose, I think so. You might be able to sub cornflour? Potato starch is widely available at most Asian grocers.
Yum! These look delicious.
They look very more-ish. How fabulous to have cookie rolls in your freezer – not something I have done but I will now 😃
Celia -you really know how to tease us all don’t you -Lol! Im sitting at my computer now with a lovely cup of tea and no chocolate sable! They look delicious. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe. Best wishes Emma xx
Glad you are getting back on track after enduring so much, still many roads to walk. You really are naughty tempting me with these…..I used to hate chocolate but you’ve taught me so much. Like so many things, do it well and you appreciate the results. XXX
It’s a great idea to prepare and freze the dough – that’s a lot of cookies! Big Man would definitely enjoy these :) Take it slowly, there’s a long road ahead x
Yumm! These sounds absolutely delicious. I love the texture and can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
All I can say is ‘yum’ So many recipes have dough you can freeze, and I never do it- I need to try it once when I’m crunch on time and don’t have time to do it all in one quick go.
I made these last night after seeing them as they looked so good. Only instead of potatoe flour I used about 1/2 cup of rice flour (I had just been to the shop and didn’t feel like going out again) which seemed to give a nice crumbly texture.
You must be so physically and emotionally exhausted. Good to see you back in the kitchen. Your sables are perfectly shaped xx
Biccies! Oh yes! We all need biscuits like those in our lives, there is a nip in the air in the mornings here and I am staring at my fading pink toenail varnish and debating whether or not to do a fresh lot or will the toes soon be vanishing permanently into socks once more. But enough of that melancholy, today I must bake some bread and try once again to get yet another batch of apricot jam to set (my nemesis, I am jinxed by apricot jam) and go and harvest some tomatoes and do some weeding at the community garden. Now if I had some of your amazing chocolate sablés to give me energy (not because they are divinely delicious of course) my day would be even lovelier! xx Joanna
So delicious, Celia… good food for the soul. xxx
Hello Dear Celia
Just caught up here after you said you were taking some time out. I’m sorry to hear about your family’s loss. I hope you are all feeling peaceful – it was a pleasure to read about your Dad. He sounds like a rare gem. Wishing you a good day and loving peace
Craig
How very delicious are these. I need one in my life , especially now on Friday at 11 pm!
These sound absolutely delicious. I’m glad you added the standard measurements to your metric measurements. Must try these when I get moved to the new house. Thanks.
If there’s on thing I can’t resist, it’s a biscuit. Yes, I like everything else too but the biscuit reigns supreme. As I have learned, biscuits freeze fantastically either baked or unbaked! xxx
Ooh! Must try these! I love a good chocolate treat!
These look awesome Celia. I’m glad you’re back at the blog (I heard about your loss and I extend my sincere condolences).
Welcome back! I love sables, and am fascinated by the potato flour – I don’t think I’ve seen that in a biscuit before…