French Christmas Cookies (Sablés)
When I visited La Grande Epicerie last year in Paris, I was pleasantly surprised by all the Christmas goodies that were there, including French Christmas cookies like these!
French Christmas Cookies
The Grande Epicerie is a high-end grocery market in Paris, sort of like a glorified version of what Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma would be if the two became one.
There were all sorts of festive little treats, including hot chocolate sticks (basically sticks with chocolate that you could stir into hot milk to create instant hot cocoa), tissue-paper wrapped nougat (the French’s favorite confectionary), and the most beautifully decorated French Christmas cookies I had ever laid eyes on.
The cookies were much-loved butter cookies, also known as sablés to the French, that were iced and designed with such care and skill, that I honestly didn’t want to eat any of them at first.
I wanted to buy a bunch of them to hang on my Christmas tree because they were just so gorgeous, they looked more like ornaments than anything you could do with food.
I specifically remember an angel cookie that had been dusted with gold and embroidered with gold pearl sprinkles…what a sight! But alas, the foodie in me took over and I unwrapped one to try. It was absolutely divine.
Sablés are pretty much a combination of a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie. They’re crisp like a sugar cookie and buttery like a shortbread cookie.
However, they’ve got a little bit of that sandy texture that would disqualify them from being a true sugar cookie, in addition to the fact that they’re not as sweet. Still, they don’t crumble as easy as a shortbread cookie so they can’t really be classified as such either.
However you want to look at these French Christmas cookies, the irrefutable fact is that they are incredibly delicious.
I used Dorie Greenspan’s recipe to make the traditional sablé dough, but I added in some seasonal touches that I had tasted when I enjoyed these cookies in Paris last year.
This included adding some cinnamon and cloves to the dough, along with a bit of orange zest, to really make these French Christmas cookies an unmistakable holiday treat.
For the icing, I used royal icing, and I applied the icing using my preferred method to decorate cookies: food-grade paint brushes. I find that I have more control decorating this way, but it’s a personal preference, so do as you please.
I was aiming for a sort of winter wonderland theme, and wanted to create a uniform set of cookies that would look minimalist and elegant.
Once your cookies fully dry, feel free to place them in a tissue paper lined tin container or wrap them up in cellophane. They make darling Christmas gifts!
French Christmas Cookies
Buttery sugar cookies decorated with royal icing.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 large egg yolk, keep the white for the icing!, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 medium orange
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the cookies
for the icing
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, or a splash of fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 drop blue food coloring
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the salt, ground cinnamon, and cloves; mix to combine. Now, add in the egg yolk, orange zest, and vanilla extract and mix until the egg is completely incorporated. Add the flour and mix just until the flour is incorporated; don’t mix anymore than you need to.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and pat down so that you get a 1 inch disc. Refrigerate the dough until it’s thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Take your dough out of the fridge and let the dough sit on the counter for about 15 minutes to slightly thaw. If you try to roll the dough out right away, you’ll end up with a lot of cracks in the dough.
- Dust your counter space with flour and place the dough on this surface. Roll the dough out so that it measures 1/4 inch thin. Always roll the dough in one direction, rotating the dough every once in awhile; don’t roll back and forth.
- Take your preferred cookie cutters and cut out the shapes you like. The cookies won’t really spread so you can place them fairly close to each other on the baking sheet. Place the sheet with the cut out shapes in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
- Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes. They should be golden along the edges. Let the cookies continue to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes once they are out of the oven. If you try to remove them sooner, they will be too soft.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, create the royal icing by whisking the egg whites with the cream of tartar or lemon juice just until the egg whites are frothy and have lost some of that yellowish appearance. Then add the powdered sugar in, one cup at a time, whisking after each addition. Once the icing is white and thick, stop mixing.
- Remove about 1/3 cup of the icing and pour it into a separate bowl. Add the drop of blue food coloring and whisk to combine. Paint the white icing onto the snowmen, and paint the blue icing onto other shapes. Wait until this base coat of icing has completely dried (2 -3 hours) before decorating the cookies with further embellishments (such as the snowman’s scarf, polka dots, or iced borders).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 25 Serving Size: 25 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 119
Wow that French grocery sounds incredible! Loving these gorgeous cookies, they are pure Christmas perfection!
Thank you, Jess! The store is truly incredible! I am actually headed there today for some last minute foodie shopping before I leave France. Thanks for your kind words, deary <3
I just realized today that I haven’t been receiving your posts! I signed back up so hopefully won’t miss any more posts 🙂 These cookies are gorgeous! I use the same sugar cookies recipe each year for my xmas cookies but using your recipe this year for a welcoming change. Also, I checked out the La Grande Epicerie link and do you think they will let me live there? Preferably right behind the cheese counter.
Thank you Karrie!! I have wondered if I can live there before too…still working on that with the owners! 😉 Thanks for always reading and supporting my blog <3 XO
These are gorgeous, Beeta! It would be hard to eat one, I feel like they should just be on display! I don’t think I’ve ever had a true sable cookie before, but I’m very intrigued, these sound just perfect! <3
Thanks so much, Sam! Sablés are so good, you’d love them! XO
I agree with you – I can’t decide whether to eat them or hang them on a tree – they’re just stunning, Beeta. I love the spices you added to add a little warmth to these.
Grande Epicerie is one of those places that has so many interesting things, my head starts to swim! But it’s fun to explore – I’d love to be there at Christmas time. In fact, I’d love to be in Paris in general this time of year! I bet it’s so beautiful. xoxo
Thank you so much, Marissa! And I know exactly how you feel…the grande epicerie can just overwhelm you with all the amazing things they’ve got. I think you’d love Paris during the holidays – it’s beautiful! XOXO
Stunning cookie decorating! They are completely perfect. This is a sight better than when I tried to decorate cookies for Oktoberfest recently covers eyes! I am in love with these!
Thanks so much, Hannah! I bet your cookies were lovely! <3
Okay, that store looks amazing! I could probably spend all day in there! I am like you with beautiful eats too, at first I don’t want to eat them either! But my tummy always gives in and then I wish I had taken a picture first! These cookies are stunning, Beeta!! I love sables, but I haven’t had on in years! Totally need to change that ASAP! You did a fabulous job decorating these, my dear! Pinned! Cheers! xo
Thanks so much, Cheyanne! I always end up kicking myself for being so delayed with the photo taking. Good to know I’m not the only one! XO
Such beautiful cookies Beeta! Those pastel colours are absolutely gorgeous, and I love the sound of the sugar cookie-shortbread cross of the sablé too. Will put La Grande Epicerie on my list of places to visit in Paris one day!! hope you have a wonderful week <3
Thank you, Claudia! I’m so glad you like the choice in colors…I always love pastels. And you must visit the market – you’d love it!! <3
These cookies sound as delicious as they are beautiful. The perfect Christmas cookie.
Thank you so much, Rosemary! I really appreciate your kind words <3