Cornmeal Sablés | Sweet Corn Cookies

Sablés are are French shortbread cookie (pronounced "SAB-blay"). They are sweet, buttery, and crumbly. They're very hard to resist. 

The flavor of these cookies is reminiscent of a mildly sweet cornbread but with the crunchiness of a butter cookie. From what I understand, the difference between shortbread cookies and French sablés is the inclusion of eggs or egg yolks in the French version. 

These sablés are unusual in that they also include cornmeal, farine de mais, an ingredient native to the Americas. I'm not sure how much it is used much in France, but I have read that there are regions, particularly the Basque and other coastal regions, where corn was first introduced from the New World.

Regardless, cornmeal and sables were made for each other. The graininess of the cornmeal totally enhances the texture of this cookie. 

Ingredients in These Cornmeal Sablés:

From The Pantry: Sugar (both granulated and confectioner's), salt, unbleached all-purpose flour, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. 

From the Refrigerator: Egg yolks, milk (a small amount), and butter. 

Corn Meal: You can use either yellow or white corn meal. I used yellow cornmeal for the color. 

I could even imagine adding some bits of jalapeno to these cookies and serving them with chili..... 

P.S. For more sablé recipes, check out these amazing chocolate sables, espresso chocolate sables, or these vanilla bean sables.

To Make These Cornmeal Cookies:

First, combine the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, granulated sugar, and salt in a small bowl. 

Next, in a food processor, pulse the butter, flour, cornmeal, and confectioners' sugar until you have a crumbly mixture. 

After that, knead together the two mixtures, divide the mixture in half, and roll each half out between pieces of parchment paper. Briefly freeze the rolled out dough before cutting and baking the cookies. 

Equipment You May Need: 

Food Processor: A food processor is a great vehicle for helping to create the crumbly texture in the cookies. 

Parchment Paper: For rolling out the cookie dough. Roll the dough out in between layers of parchment. You could also use wax paper if you prefer, but you can use the same parchment for baking the cookies in the oven. 

Rolling Pin with Thickness Rings: This rolling pin is super helpful in producing cookies that are the same in thickness. The cookies will bake uniformly and be ready at the same time. 

Half Sheet Baking Pans: For baking the cookies. These are a workhorse in my kitchen. You really can't have too many. 

Two Inch Round Cookie Cutter: You could also use a scalloped cookie cutter. 

Storage: 

Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them for up to a month. 

Happy National Corn Month! 

This week, the Sunday Funday group is celebrating National Corn Month with recipes that include corn in any iteration. 

• Culinary Cam: Blue Corn Bollos de Mazorca 
• Sneha's Recipe: Corn Cutlets 
• Our Good Life: Corn Riblets 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Cornmeal Sables 
• Food Lust People Love: Creamy Corn and Ham Chowder 
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Kenyan Style Corn Curry
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Mexican Street Corn Trail Mix 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Pasta with Sweet Corn Pesto

Cornmeal Sables

Yield: 36 cookies

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Sablés are are French shortbread cookie (pronounced "SAB-blay"). They are sweet, buttery, and crumbly. They're very hard to resist. 

Ingredients

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cups (9 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt together until fully incorporated.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the butter, flour, cornmeal, and powdered sugar until crumbly.
3. In a large shallow bowl, combine the two mixtures and knead until all of the ingredients are combined.
4. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece between two pieces of wax or parchment paper until 3/8 inch thick. Place each piece of dough, still between two pieces of paper, into the freezer for 30 minutes.
5. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Remove one of the rolled out pieces of dough and remove one of the layers of paper. Place the paper back onto the dough and flip it over. Remove the (now) top piece of paper and, using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles and place them onto the baking sheet. Re-roll the leftover pieces and cut them into cookies.
8. Bake the cookies, one baking sheet at a time, for 12 to 16 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies should be barely browned at the edges.
9. Continue working with the dough in the freezer as the oven becomes available.
10. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, and then move them to a cooling rack with a thin spatula.
11. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

110

Fat (grams)

6 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

3 g

Carbs (grams)

13 g

Fiber (grams)

1 g

Net carbs

13 g

Sugar (grams)

5 g

Protein (grams)

1 g

Cholesterol (grams)

29 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2013/07/cornmeal-sables-sweet-corn-cookies.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

cookies, sables, cornmeal

dessert

French

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Created using The Recipes Generator

Recipe adapted from The All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett (2001). It's an amazing book with over 150 classic cookie recipes.