Best Toasted Flour Sablés Recipes

TOASTED-FLOUR SABLéS

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 450°F. Sprinkle flour evenly over a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring often once top layer of flour browns, until all flour is golden, 10-15 minutes (flour will burn quickly, so check often). Let cool, then sift into a medium bowl and whisk in egg yolks and salt.
• Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture plus 2 Tbsp. water; mix just until combined (mixture will look crumbly but will hold together when pinched). Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and form into a 12" log. Tightly roll up in parchment, then wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice a little dough from both ends of log to square off; unwrap and slice dough 1/4" thick. Place on rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1" apart. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until edges are golden but centers are still pale, 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
• Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.

PECAN SABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Pulse toasted pecans with 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
• Beat together butter, remaining 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and beat well. Add flour and ground-pecan mixture and mix at low speed until just combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Dough will be crumbly but will hold together when squeezed.)
• Halve dough and roll out 1 half between 2 sheets of wax paper until 1/4 inch thick (about a 9-inch round). Cut out as many rounds as possible with cookie cutter and arrange about 2 inches apart on buttered large baking sheets, reserving scraps. Roll out and cut remaining dough in same manner. Gather scraps, then reroll and cut in same manner.
• Beat egg white until frothy, then brush tops of rounds lightly with egg white. Put a pecan half on top of each round, then brush pecan lightly with egg white.
• Bake cookies in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.