These One-Bowl French Cookies Are the Most Delicious Way to Repurpose Pie Dough

When I cooked professionally, chefs always told me to work smart, not hard: You should be as efficient as possible and plan well so as to maximize your productivity. So many chefs have drilled that into me that I am now someone with an unhealthy interest in being as productive as possible every minute of the day—especially when I’m planning or preparing meals. As a busy, tired human, I like recipes that can easily be repurposed, like tomato sauce for eggs in purgatory, leftover roast chicken for pot pie, and tart doughs that I can transform into cookies.

This is where sablé cookies come in. Because the cookies are made from pâte sablée, a classic French dough that can be baked into a sweet, crumbly tart shell or slice-and-bake cookies, you only need to make one batch dough for two desserts: a tart of some kind, be such as fresh fruit, lemon, or frangipane, and a bunch of cookies. It’s a lifesaver during the holiday season, when I need an easy dinner party dessert and a plate of cookies for Santa. This recipe from our contributor Rebecca Frey takes care of both.

As Frey touches on in her tart shell recipe, “sablé” means “sand” or “sandy” in French, and tart shells, cookies, and other desserts made with this dough have a pleasantly short, crumbly texture. For cookies that are tender, she uses two essential French techniques: “sablage” and “fraisage.” Sablage involves using your hands to rub cold butter into the dry ingredients—flour, confectioners’ sugar, and ground almonds—which helps coat the flour in fat to minimize gluten development, which makes for a more tender crumb. Fraisage, on the other hand, refers to the motion of using the heel of your hand to smear the dough against a work surface. This ensures the dough is well combined and that the fat and moisture are evenly distributed for buttery and pleasantly crumbly cookies.

Another bonus? Frey’s recipe requires just one bowl and a bit of plastic wrap. There’s no need for room temperature butter and there’s no creaming of butter and sugar. All you have to do is toss the ingredients for the dough together, smear it across your counter (cathartic, I promise!), then roll it into a log before chilling, slicing, freezing, and baking. If you want to make a tart shell and cookies, simply make a double batch of dough. It’s a holiday miracle, really.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, and salt to combine. Add butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until butter pieces are thoroughly coated with flour mixture. Using your fingertips, pinch and flatten butter, then rub it between your fingertips until a sandy texture forms, 3 to 4 minutes.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture about 2 to 3 inches wide. Pour beaten egg into the well and, using a fork, gradually incorporate flour into the egg until a dry, crumbly dough forms.

Tip dough onto a large, clean, unfloured countertop. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, then use your hands or a dough scraper to gather it back into a mass. Repeat until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms, about 6 to 8 more times.

On a clean cutting board or work surface, shape dough into a 10-inch long log about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. (If desired, roll log in an even layer of demerara sugar for added sweetness and crunch.) Wrap log tightly in plastic, twisting the ends of the plastic to seal. Once wrapped, roll log under your hands in a back-and-forth motion to ensure log is smooth, even, and tight all around. Refrigerate until very firm, about 3 hours. Line two 13-by 18-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment; set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Using a sharp chef’s knife, trim ends of log, then slice dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Transfer sliced cookies onto prepared baking sheets and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.  (You may have to freeze 1 baking sheet at a time, depending on the size of your freezer.)

Bake 1 sheet of cookies at 350°F (175° C) until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes, leaving second sheet in the freezer while the first bakes. Repeat with remaining baking sheet.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving; enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Special Equipment

Plastic wrap, 2 rimmed baking sheets, parchment

Notes

Almond flour can be substituted with the same amount of all-purpose flour, but the dough will be less flavorful and slightly more difficult to work with.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Once cooled, baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze unbaked cookies, arrange sliced dough on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Unbaked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. To bake frozen cookies, remove sliced cookies from freezer and arrange on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF (175ºC) until lightly golden brown around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes.