Sablés à l'ancienne

Found in a French cookbook of the nineteen sixties, this cookie recipe goes under the name of sablés à l'ancienne. With a tiny bit of my modification (added baking powder for more lightness), this cookie recipe is pure perfection in all of its forms. Easy to make, simple, with a few ingredients, and such a generous taste (mostly thanks to orange blossom water). 

250 g all-purpose flour
125 g cold butter, small cubes
110 g confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp fleur d'oranger
4 tbsp full-fat milk

In a bowl, mix flour and butter, using your fingertips to get a rough breadcrumb texture. Only when you have achieved this texture, add confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, salt and mix again. Add orange blossom water and milk and knead into a smooth dough. Stop kneading when the dough is smooth. The less you knead, the airier the cookies will be. Wrap in a plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 1-1.5 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Layer a pan with baking paper. Roll out the dough to 3-5 mm thickness and cut 3 cm large cookies. Place them in a pan; you can put them fairly close as they do not spread. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until nicely golden. Take out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completley. Transfer to an airtight jar.  

In partnership with Kilner