Recipe for Vanilla Bean Sables (French Butter Cookies)
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These Vanilla Bean Sables are the perfect cookie for anyone that loves vanilla.
There’s something about the flavor of this spice that just makes everything taste better!
This recipe is easy to follow and yields cookies that are light, buttery, and full of delicious vanilla flavor.
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Vanilla Bean Sables
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
These vanilla bean sables are inspired by the buttery French biscuits called sablé, which are similar to [British] shortbread biscuits and [American] Sandies.
Sablés are said to hail from France’s Normandy region.
The French word sablé means “sandy”, which is the French term that takes the place of the English “breadcrumbs”. Generally, the baker begins the process by rubbing cold butter into flour and sugar to form particles of dough until the texture resembles that of breadcrumbs or sand.
Wikipedia
These buttery, crumbly cookies are delicious as they are, but you could also dip them in melted dark chocolate, or sandwich them with fruit jam – yum!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
Staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., aren’t always included here as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen.
The complete list of ALL ingredients with measurements is found on the recipe card at the end of this post.
Ingredients Needed To Make Vanilla Bean Sables
- Granulated (White) Sugar
- Powdered Sugar – also known as Icing Sugar or Confectioners Sugar.
- Vanilla Bean Pod
- All-Purpose Flour – also known as Plain Flour
- Pure Vanilla Extract – always buy good vanilla as it really does make a flavor difference.
Helpful Kitchen Tools For This Recipe
- Cookie Sheet
- Electric Mixer – either a hand or standing mixer
- Silicon Spatula
- Mixing Bowl
- Plastic Wrap
- Wire Cooling Rack
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, that you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Vanilla
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is vanilla, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Easy Homemade Vanilla Fig Jam Recipe
- No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
- How To Make Vanilla Chai Latte at Home – A PSL Alternative!
More Cookie Recipes
Looking for more cookies to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Scrumptious Recipe for Key Lime Pie Cookies With Frosting On Top!
- How To Make Gingersnap Cookies
- Iced Cherry Almond Cookies
Recipe Tips
- To make these cookies lemon flavored, add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the mixture.
- You could also add a spicy touch by adding 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ground cardamom, or ground ginger to the mixture.
- Storing Leftovers:
- Cool, transfer to an airtight container, and store at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- Freezing Instructions:
- Bake and cool the sables completely.
- Place the sables in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze completely.
- Transfer the now-frozen cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container or food bag (squeeze out any extra air from the bag), and return them to the freezer.
- Label with the name of the dish, thawing/reheating instructions, and the date to keep track of your food storage.
- Vanilla bean sables will last in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Defrost the cookies for about an hour before enjoying them.
- With all leftovers, make sure the food looks and smells okay before eating.
How Do I Make Vanilla Bean Sables?
The printable recipe card below has the full ingredients list and instructions. Any demonstration photos on the card do not print out to save ink.
Vanilla Bean Sables
Ingredients
- 2 cups soft room temperature butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar
- 2 large eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plain flour
For rolling
- 1 cup white sugar
- Remains of the vanilla bean pod
Instructions
- Place the soft butter and white sugar into a mixing bowl.
- With a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthways down the middle and scrape the seeds into the bowl of butter and sugar.
- Place the pod into the cup of white sugar for rolling. Stir and cover and leave for the vanilla to infuse in the sugar, while you prepare the cookie dough.
- Add the vanilla extract to the bowl of butter, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds, and beat with an electric handheld or standing mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg to the mixture and beat until the dough is fluffy.
- With a rubber spatula, mix in a pinch of salt and the flour until it is incorporated and a dough forms.
- Place two lengths of plastic wrap onto your work surface.
- Divide the dough in half and place one half onto each piece of plastic wrap.
- Wrap the dough and work into a log. Twist the ends to secure and place the dough into the freezer (20 minutes) or fridge (1 hour) to firm up. Both ways work great, just use the method that fits with your available time.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C/Gas 3. Prepare a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
- Unwrap the chilled cookie dough logs and cut them into ¼"/½cm slices with a sharp knife.
- Uncover the vanilla bean sugar and place each cookie slice, one at a time into the sugar to coat it completely.
- Place the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet about 2"/5cm apart.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown.
- Leave cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before enjoying them with a glass of milk!
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Special Dinner!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Appetizer: Brie and Cherry Appetizers with Phyllo Pastry Cups
- Soup: Chunky Vegetable Soup
- Salad: Fig and Roasted Fennel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Main Dish: Orange Cranberry Chicken Recipe Made with Bone-In Chicken Breasts
- Side Dish: Comforting & Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Red Potatoes
- Beverage: Christmas Gin Cocktail with Cherries and Mint
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.