After the past couple of (rather complicated, albeit tasty) Tuesdays with Dorie recipes I was ecstatic that this week's assignment was Sablés - simple to put together (only one element to make!) and extremely handy to have on hand for holiday gatherings or an afternoon cup of tea on a chilly afternoon. Not only that, these cookies would be great to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve! I'm thinking of stashing a few logs of this dough in the freezer to bake as needed.
n.o.e.'s notes:
- It's hard to beat a plain buttery cookie, so for my first time baking this recipe, I stayed with the basic version, ignoring all of Dorie's suggestions for "playing around" with variations on this recipe. Next time around I'll probably try the lemon. Or the spice. Hmmm, the savory ones sound delicious too!
- The recipe is simple, no rolling pins or cookie cutters involved, and if the edges are covered in pretty sugar, the fanciness belies the ease of these cookies.
- After I baked the cookies, I was paging through some other baking books and saw some helpful tips for making better logs for refrigerator cookies [edit: like this YouTube video from the Culinary Institute of America - watch to the end for sables/sand cookies; also check out the post from Barbara, this week's hostess for tips]. Mine definitely need some work in the shaping department!
- I sprinkled some decorative sugar on the logs before I sliced them, but I think they'd also be wonderful with finely chopped nuts.
the verdict:
I brought the cookies to two gatherings last week, and while I didn't get any specific reactions or quotes, they seemed to be popular. We kept a small plateful here at home and loved them. This recipe makes a delicious classic cookie. I'm pretty sure they'd be a hit with Santa and his elves!
Thanks to Barbara of Bungalow Barbara for choosing the Sablés for us to bake. They are perfect for sharing! And for freezing to bake later! You can find the recipe on her blog, or on pages 131-133 of Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.
27 comments:
Your picture made me smile immediately when I opened your post - love it! The cookies look wonderful and I'm glad to hear they were enjoyed. I just put together the dough tonight and will bake them in the morning. I tried the lemon version so I'll let you know how they are :)
Thanks for baking along with me this week! Your cookies look very festive and I'm glad you liked them.
P.S. -- I have my post up for these now, and I have some hints for shaping them in it.
Simple and delicious, I like the classics! I agree, lemon would be nice. And a cup of tea with those cookies would be fabulous!
so pretty! i love the santa note:) i plan on leaving santa some chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies.
These are just lovely. I agree that simple is good.
I agree that it will be fun to play around with these, maybe with lemon and a favorite herb (lavender, thyme, etc.)?
Love the santa note Nancy :) Yours turned out beautifully! I want to make these again and try the orange, one of my favorite flavors :)
These are just the best butter cookie.
Fabulous.
I can not believe you didn't get reactions or comments from people eating your cookies.
Your cookies look wonderful. I love the picture. I wish I was Santa. These were delicious.
Yours look so pretty! It was nice to have a simple recipe this week.
Great post, Nancy! I love the little note to Santa with the colorful cookies. Christmas on a plate. :o)
Oooh thanks for that clip from the CIA! I need all of the help I can get with these cookies! Yours look great!
I could use some help on my shaping of cookie logs for sure. Mine ended up looking like squares or rectangles, but oh well!
I love the sugar you used. Very pretty.
I am sure Santa is going to love these!
How cute! I was so relieved we had an easy one this week, but my mind was reeling with flavor possibilities. I should have stayed with the elegant simplicity of Dorie's original. Thanks for the CIA link...my logs need shaping help.
I'm with you - simple cookies were a relief :) Yours look wonderful, and I'm betting they were much appreciated!
Aww. I adore the note for Santa. Lovely touch. Yes, I can't wait to make this again too in a variation.
Save some for yourself!!! Wonderful concept Nancy! Can't imagine Santa leaving these behind. Yes, I need to do the "nut roll" too - that HAS to be good. Perfect photography and perfectly round cookies... so simple and wonderful. Happy Holidays!
Thanks for the video Nancy! The rolling tips were really helpful. I like that she brushed the cookies with milk instead of wasting an egg. But I shrieked when she wrote on the cookie logs with a Sharpie. I think that would soak through to the dough!
Your cookies look great. I like the sprinkles and the note for Santa. However simple these cookies are, I still haven't had the chance to take my logs out of the freezer and bake them. This weekend!
These definitely are the perfect cookie for Santa, so cute! I also made the plain ones and can't wait to try some other varieties; it's really a great basic recipe.
Looks like you and I had the same idea about leaving these for Santa. I also made mine plain. Good idea to make up several rolls for busy days ahead.
I was also glad for an easier recipe this week. :) No math this week! Glad you liked them!
These would be perfect for Santa - if my frozen sable logs survive until the 24th! Lovely sables.
I loved these too. I made the spice version, but want to try all of them. Definitely a cookie to leave for Santa, I love your photo!
That's a great picture. =) I'm trying to decide what to put on the outside of the log that's still in my fridge. I really want to try the spice version, too.
You are right about the niceness of having something simple to bake. These cookies were perfect. And SOOOOO easy. I have some logs in my fridge, too, for later.
Yours look great.
These look wonderful, and I am sure Santa will think so as well. I have a hunch that way. I really appreciated that little YouTube video on how to keep those cookies round...too bad I didn't see it until AFTER I made them, but you can bet that I will do that little turning thing next time for sure. Thanks for the info, you are always great with the info!
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