These French biscuits are called sable biscuits because they are so light, it is like they are made of sand.
Similar to a British shortbread, they are extremely buttery and crisp, with a light dusting of sugar but, as you bite into them, they truly melt in your mouth.
This is not a biscuit to be rushed, it should be savoured as a treat with a hard earned cup of tea or as a decadent side to your favourite French dessert.
A real delight, and the best bit is that they are not difficult to make too.
Bon appétit!
When I first moved to France it took time to find items in the shops that were familiar and one of those things were biscuits. The French supermarkets have an array of biscuits, but custard creams and digestive biscuits were nowhere to be found.
Then I discovered palet Bréton, which originated in Brittany. These are small, round, light and buttery biscuits. A bit like shortbread, extremely buttery and only about 8 to a pack as they are so tall.
They have the same ingredients as sablé Bréton, but the classic sable biscuits are thinner and often glazed.
Both French biscuit versions are delicious and this is my hybrid version of the two, where you get a biscuit that is slightly thinner than a palet, but still deliciously decadent.
And no, we are not having a handful of biscuits either. This recipe will make 20 biscuits and I guarantee that you will be sneaking back to the tin for another.
They are just so good!
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
- Butter - unsalted butter is better for baking, so you know how much salt to add. The butter needs to be soft or else it won't be able to combine with the sugar.
- Salt - fleur de sel or flaked sea salt.
- Sugar - caster or fine sugar for the biscuits and dusting and icing or confectioners sugar , also for the biscuits.
- Flour - plain or all purpose flour.
- Vanilla - vanilla extract rather than essence.
- Eggs - just the egg yolks of free range chicken.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- 2 Lined baking sheets - I prefer to use reusable silicone liners for ease
- Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon - or use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- 28 cm or 2 ¼ inch round cutter
- rolling pin
- metal spatula
- cooling rack
🔪 Instructions
Put the softened butter, caster and icing sugars in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy.
This is much quicker with an electric mixer but you will need to regularly scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure that everything is mixed.
💭 Top Tip
- The butter needs to be soft enough to work with a spoon, but if it is overly soft the melting moments will spread too thin in the oven. If the butter is too cold cut it into small pieces to start with. Don't be tempted to put it in the microwave.
Stir in the vanilla.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition.
To stop the mixture from splitting it helps to beat in a tablespoon of flour at the same time as the eggs.
Stir in the remaining flour with a metal spoon.
At first the mixture will seem too dry.
Once the dough starts to clump together, bring it together into a ball.
💭 Top Tip
- Try not to overmix or handle the dough too much. The aim is to keep it as light and melting as possible.
Roll out the dough to about half an inch or just over a centimetre thick.
Cut out the rounds and place a couple of centimetres apart on the baking sheets.
Roll out again until the dough is used up.
Chill the biscuits on the tray for about 30 minutes. This stops them from spreading in the oven.
⏲️ Baking Time
Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F / 170 FAN / Gas 5.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden.
Leave the sable biscuits on the baking tray for 2 minutes and dust with the caster sugar.
Use a metal spatula to transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.
🥗 Serve with
- Chocolate Mousse
- Baileys Crème Brûlée
- Bavarois or Bavarian Cream
- Lavender Crème Brûlée
- Baileys Sabayon
- Chocolate Marquise
- Raspberry Parfait
📖 Variations
- Chocolate - add an onze or 25g of chocolate chips to the mixture or cover the tops with melted chocolate.
- Lemon - add the zest of a lemon to the mix.
- Spices - try a teaspoonful of cinnamon, ground cardamom or ground ginger.
Storage
- Air tight tin or container - up to 7 days
- Freezer - wrap in an airtight bag or container for up to 2 months.
FAQs
In so many recipes you can end up with leftover egg whites. If you are not ready to make another dish with them then they can be safely frozen for up to a year.
The easiest way of doing this is to pour the liquid egg white into ice cube trays and then transfer them to a bag with the date on when they are solid.
Bring them to room temperature before using in recipes.
Try making a no bake lemon meringue cheesecake, Nutella meringues, Eton mess or macarons.
These all have step by step instructions for foolproof meringues.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More desserts and biscuits
More biscuits and bars to try
📋 Recipe
French Sable Biscuits
Equipment
- 2 Lined baking sheets - I prefer to use reusable silicone liners for ease
- Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon - or use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- 28 cm or 2 ¼ inch round cutter
- Rolling Pin
- metal spatula
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 215 g butter unsalted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 70 g caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 250 g plain flour
- 40 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decoration
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
Instructions
- Put the butter, caster and icing sugars in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy.
- Stir in the vanilla then add the egg yolks one at a time, with a spoonful of flour and beating well after each addition.
- Stir in the remaining flour with a metal spoon.
- Once the dough starts to clump together, bring it together into a ball.
- Roll out the dough to about half an inch or just over a centimetre thick.
- Cut out the rounds and place a couple of centimetres apart on the baking sheets.
- Chill the biscuits on the tray for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F / 170 FAN / Gas 5.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden.
- Leave the sable biscuits on the baking tray for 2 minutes and dust with the caster sugar.
- Use a metal spatula to transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to read them and answer your questions. However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Michele
These buttery biscuits were luscious. You were exactly right that they need to be slowly enjoyed and savored. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Dana Sandonato
These are absolutely delicious! Definitely similar to shortbread but lighter!
Toni
I tried it and everyone at my house loved it!! Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Sachs
I love shortbread so I'm definitely going to give these sable biscuits a try!
Gina
I absolutely LOVE the texture of these. Thanks for the great recipe!
Danielle
Thank you for all the great tips on how to make these! It was very helpful and they came out great!
Kechi
I am a lover of everything buttery biscuits, so I have bookmarked them to make! Thanks for the step-by-step photo tutorial!
Mandy Applegate
I made these as a gift for a friend and they loved them!
Jacqueline Meldrum
I've not heard of these for years. They look lush. *adds to list*
Kris
These were very delicate and delicious -- truly a delight! Thank you. 🙂