Cookie of the Month - Vanilla Sablés

I love giving people gifts, but am horrible at figuring out what to get them.  I've tried to espouse my dad's gift giving philosophy, which is that the perfect gift is one that the receiver doesn't even know he or she wants, or something they'd like but would never buy for themselves.  I'm not saying I always achieve such gift-giving perfection, but it's the goal.

A few years ago, it was a couple of days before Christmas and I could not think of something to get my younger brother.  Clothing seemed so uninspired, and his hobbies are technical enough that I can't just go out on my own without his guidance.  One of his favorite things about Christmas is that it is the one time of year he gets his favorite cookies - peppermint candy cane cookies from an old Betty Crocker cookbook my mom has.  "You know," he said to me while I was busy baking said cookies, "if you ever don't know what to get me, you could always make me cookies." And he plopped one in his mouth as he walked out of the kitchen.

 At first I didn't think much of it - I wasn't just going to make him some cookies for Christmas, particularly because my mom and I had already baked a bunch of cookies.  It'd be like wrapping up a jello mold.  But the idea in essence was great - something that he (knew he) wanted, that he wouldn't get for himself, and that would be as rewarding to give as to receive.  Perfect.  Then I got ambitious - I decided I'd send him homemade cookies every month.  He was still in college then, so it's not like he could really make them for himself, and it's always fun to get cookies in the mail.

I made a little booklet explaining the deal to him - every month he picked a type of cookie and I'd bake them and send them to him - and gave it to him on Christmas.  He immediately asked if he could get the same thing the next year, too.  He's gotten pretty much the same thing every year since then, with some changes.  I usually pick the recipes now, based on my knowledge of what he likes and what I feel like making.

This year is a little different.   I found a Martha Stewart Cookies calendar last December and gave that to him, so this year Martha is dictating what type of cookie he gets every month.  Except this month.  Martha's April cookie is the lemon bar.  I love lemon bars, but am wary about shipping them, particularly because I'm a little worried that if they get too hot while shipping that the lemon curd will go bad.  I don't know how valid of a concern that is, but that's my concern.  So I made the executive decision to make Vanilla Sablés instead.

The sablé is a French shortbread, and this butter cookie is one of the white whales of my cookie baking.  It's that same familiar combination of butter, sugar, and flour that somehow the French seem to have mastered in a way that I haven't.  I've tried a few French shortbread recipes, and while none have been bad, they've also not captured the same deliciousness of the ones I had in France.  The same could be said about French macaroons, but that's a different story.  So when I saw this recipe, it  went right on my list of things to try.  This is Dorie Greenspan's recipe, originally published in the current issue of Fine Cooking (April/May 2012).  You can read about her similar obsession with butter cookies here.

All those ingredients, about to be cookies!  Must be the most excited a stick of butter can be.  I didn't change much of this recipe, except I used vanilla extract rather than two vanilla beans.  I have no doubt that the vanilla beans result in a more truly vanilla cookie with a richer flavor, but they're a little out of my price point at the moment.  This recipe differs a bit from others I've tried in that it calls for both granulated and powdered sugar - not that you can tell in that picture. 

Here's the dough all worked together, post kneading.  It's a pretty soft dough, but it smells deliciously of butter and vanilla.  Can't go wrong there! Then plop those puppies in the fridge for a few hours, and go off and enjoy the day.  I went to the gym, kind of the yin to my baking yang. 

That's the dogwood tree outside our front door.  Anyway, after a few hours in the fridge, roll the logs in sanding sugar and bake. 

So, the big question is: how are they??  Delicious.  Buttery, sandy, a nice vanilla overtone, a crunchy exterior, and not overly sweet.  And really easy to make.  Pretty much perfect.  Now I just need to pack them up and send them to the brother!

Vanilla Sablés

From Fine Cooking, April/May 2012, p. 28, by Dorie Greenspan

2 vanilla beans, or 2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
8 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup (1 1/3 oz.) powdered sugar
2 large egg yolks, separated
2 cups (9 oz.) flour
sanding sugar

Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a small bowl; add the granulated sugar, and mix together with the sugar, being sure to blend well.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter briefly (about 1 minute).  Add vanilla sugar and powdered sugar, beat until smooth (about 1 minute).  Scrape down bowl, add one egg yolk and mix for a minute more.  Mix in flour - the recipe says use the mixer on low speed for this, but I did it by hand because I think there's more control and you're less likely to over-mix.

Turn out onto counter and knead lightly.  Divide in half, shape each half into a log about 9 inches long, wrap in plastic or parchment, and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat second egg yolk with about half a teaspoon of water.  Brush yolk mixture on log of dough, and roll log in sanding sugar until well coated.  Slice log into 1/2-inch thick slices, bake on a parchment lined sheet for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool on sheet about five minutes before removing to cool completely.