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Butter cookies are among the most beloved treats of all time: just a few ingredients, an irresistible aroma, and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’ve always had a place in Italian homes and can be found in countless variations—from thin and crunchy cookies to soft and crumbly ones served with tea or coffee.
The recipe I’m sharing today is inspired by the traditional French butter cookies, the famous Sablés Bretons, known for their generous thickness and unique crumbly texture. With just a few simple tricks, you can easily bake butter cookies at home that combine simplicity with elegance.
Butter Cookies: the Original Recipe Inspired by French Tradition
When we talk about the original butter cookie recipe, France immediately comes to mind: sablés are a true institution there, made with plenty of high-quality butter and just a handful of essential ingredients. My version preserves the authenticity of the Breton cookies but adapts beautifully to Italian taste, using unsalted butter, real vanilla, and a 1 cm thickness that makes every bite simply irresistible.
How to Make Soft and Crumbly Butter Cookies
The secret to creating soft and crumbly butter cookies lies in two essential steps: the proper handling of the shortcrust pastry and the right resting times.
Always choose high-quality butter, rich in fat, and handle the dough as little as possible to prevent gluten development. Once the dough is formed, let it rest in the refrigerator for several hours: this step helps the cookies keep their shape and develop that sandy, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes them unique.
The technique that sets this dough apart is called “sablage”, a classic of French tradition: cold butter is worked into the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles sand. Only then are the egg yolks and flavorings added. Thanks to this method, the cookies bake up thick, golden around the edges, and with a tender, crumbly center that melts in your mouth.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional)
- Round Cookie Cutter 5–6 cm
Ingredients
- 375 g All-purpose flour ((low-protein))
- 215 g High-quality unsalted butter
- 105 g Fine granulated sugar
- 55 g Powdered sugar
- 4 Egg yolks
- 1 Bourbon vanilla bean
- 2 g Fine salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and salt.
- Add the cold butter cubes and work them quickly with your fingertips (or with the stand mixer's paddle attachment on low speed) until you get a sandy texture.
- Add the vanilla bean seeds and the egg yolks. Mix just enough to bring the dough together without overworking it: this is the secret to keeping the cookies crumbly.
- Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. For best results, let it rest overnight.
- Roll out the dough to a uniform thickness of 1 cm. Using a 5–6 cm round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- After cutting the cookies, place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or 10–15 minutes in the freezer) before baking. This trick helps stabilize the butter and improves the crumbly texture.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 320°F (160°C) for about 13–15 minutes, until the edges are golden while the centers remain pale.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. When warm they are very fragile, but once cooled they’ll have the perfect crumbly texture.
- Once cooled, butter cookies can be stored in a tightly sealed tin for 7–10 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Butter Cookie Variations
Here are some delicious variations of classic butter cookies, inspired by the tips of French pastry masters, to make the recipe even more indulgent and unique.Cocoa Variation
For aromatic cocoa butter cookies that stay crumbly without compromising texture:- All-purpose flour: 270 g (instead of 375 g)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted: 15 g
- Unsalted butter (≥82% fat): 220 g (increase by +5 g compared to the base recipe)
- Granulated sugar: 105 g
- Powdered sugar: 55 g
- Egg yolks: 4 (≈70–75 g)
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- Fine salt: 2 g
Chocolate Chip Variation
To turn your butter cookies into a more indulgent treat with chocolate chips:- Follow the base recipe.
- After incorporating the yolks and vanilla, fold in 60 g of dark chocolate chips (or milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor).
- Mix gently without overworking the dough so the chips don’t melt.
Citrus Variation
A fresh, fragrant twist that enhances the richness of butter:- Use the base recipe.
- Finely grate the zest of 1 untreated lemon (or ½ an orange).
- Mix the zest with the powdered sugar before adding it to the flour so the essential oils perfume the dough evenly.
