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Sablés normands
Sablés, Normandy's rich, crumbly butter biscuits
The little town of Lisieux, in the Pays d'Auge, has made sablés since the 1800s, and the word means 'sandy', for the way they crumble on the tongue. They are one of the simplest things a Normandy kitchen bakes: good salted butter, sugar, egg yolks and flour, rolled into a log, sliced and baked pale gold. Normans dip them in coffee or serve them with fruit compote, teurgoule or a bowl of fromage blanc, and children grow up with a tin of them in the cupboard. Chef's tip: work the dough as little as possible once the flour goes in; the less you knead, the more tender and sandy the crumb.
- Total time
- 34 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 7 oz salted buttersoft
- 3 ½ oz caster sugarplus 2 tbsp for rolling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 oz plain flour
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Beat 7 oz salted butter and 3 ½ oz caster sugar with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, until pale and creamy. Beat in 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
3 minStep 2: Add 10 oz plain flour and mix with a spatula just until there are no dry patches and the dough comes together. Common mistake: kneading it like bread dough; that develops the gluten and gives hard, tough biscuits instead of sandy ones.
Step 3: Roll the dough into two logs about 5 cm across, roll them in the extra sugar, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, until firm.
60 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays. Slice the logs into rounds 8 mm thick and lay them 3 cm apart.
Step 5: Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the centres still look pale. They are soft when hot and crisp up as they cool.
14 minStep 6: Cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then on a rack. Store in a tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sablés normands take?
- About 34 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 14 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of salted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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