Sables

My son loves the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare." Every time I try to read a story in the Book of Virtues, he always request that story. I think it is a great story about perseverance but I also want to stress other virtues like compassion, hard work, and especially self-discipline. So, I was asking my two youngest children about how they should behave like the golden rule. My son suggested we should not use too many verbs. Yes, verbs. My daughter wanted clarification and asked, "Action words? We shouldn't be using action words?" (I think she had forgotten about the golden rule when speaking to her brother.) My son just replied, "Yes, verbs." So, try not to use too many verbs today! 

Sables
2 (8 oz) sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
Colored sugar

Directions:

1. In a mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.
2. Add the sugar, powdered sugar, and salt to the butter until blended, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the speed and add the egg yolks. Beat the mixture until combined.
4. Slowly, add the flour a little at the time. Mix the dough until the dough appears uniformly moist and no flour can be seen. The dough should be soft and clumpy not smooth.
5. Gather the dough into a ball and divide into half.
6. Shape the dough into 9 inch long logs and wrap in plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
8. After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
10. In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
11. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the beaten egg over the sides of the dough.
12. Roll the dough in the desired colored sugar to coat the eggs.
13. Slice the dough horizontally into 1/3 inch circles.
14. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes and then rotate the cookies in the oven.
15. Bake the cookies for another 7 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden on the sides. 
16. Allow the cookies to cool for a minute before transferring to a cookie rack.

Recipe adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours Cookbook by Dorie Greenspan.

Did you already know...........
-Sable cookies are popular in France.
-Sables are moist and crumbly cookies.
-Other names for sables are shortbread, sand tarts, or butter cookies.