French Butter Cookies

Crispy and crumbly with a whisper of sweetness, French butter cookies are a classic treat to pair with coffee or tea. Traditionally known as sablé Breton in France—sablé referring to the sandy texture and Breton referring to Bretagne (or Brittany), a region in northwest France known for its famous salted butter—these cookies simply melt at every buttery bite.

European-style butter and more egg yolks distinguish French butter cookies from American butter cookies. Richer than American butter and churned longer to gain at least 82% butterfat, European-style butter gives French butter cookies their signature decadent and slightly sandy texture. The butter is also salted, which undeniably tastes better.

This easy French butter cookies recipe comes together relatively quickly and includes some chill time in the fridge to keep the butter hard when you roll and cut the cookie dough. You can also pop the dough in the freezer for up to three months so that you can have a plate of buttery goodness at your fingertips at any time.

Ingredients for French Butter Cookies

• European-style butter: Look for European-style butter brands such as President, Kerrygold and Vermont Creamery in the dairy section of your grocery store. You can also buy Isigny Sainte-Mère French butter, a favorite of pastry chefs, online or at specialty food stores.
• Sugar: The recipe for French butter cookies gains sweetness from granulated sugar.
• Egg yolks: Incorporating fatty egg yolks (instead of whole eggs) results in rich and flavorful butter cookies. Also, use a yolk for the egg wash, brushing it on the cookies before baking to achieve a slightly glossy golden hue.
• Vanilla: As when using the best butter, using the best vanilla extract (not flavoring) makes all the difference in these cookies. Homemade vanilla extract works too!
• Flour: Use your preferred all-purpose flour.
• Salt: A touch of salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

Cream the butter and sugar for five to seven minutes until light and fluffy. Then, beat in two egg yolks and the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour and salt.

Editor’s Tip: A hand or stand mixer is your best tool for creaming butter and sugar.

Step 2: Chill the dough

Divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a disk. Wrap each disk and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 30 minutes.

Step 3: Shape the cookies

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Roll each portion of dough to 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment. Cut the dough into circles with a floured 2-inch round cookie cutter and place the circles 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Editor’s Tip: Working with only one disk of dough at a time is essential so the butter doesn’t soften too much before baking.

Step 4: Make the egg wash

Whisk the remaining egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water and brush the egg wash over the cookies. Then create a cross-hatch design by dragging the tines of a fork across each cookie.

Step 5: Bake the cookies

Bake the buttery beauties until their edges are a light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Leave the cookies on the pans for five minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Taste Recipes

Recipe Variations

• Add a glaze: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or white chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon shortening in the microwave. Dip the cookies halfway into the glaze, allowing the extra chocolate to drip off. Let them set on sheets of waxed paper.
• Whip up sandwich cookies: French butter cookies are delicious when sandwiched with Nutella, lemon curd, chocolate ganache, or homemade fruit jam or jelly.
• Zing them with citrus: To give your recipe for French butter cookies a bright kick, add 1 tablespoon orange, lemon or lime zest to your cookie dough.

How to Store French Butter Cookies

To keep your recipe for French butter cookies fresh, store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container (not in a cookie jar, a common cookie storage mistake). Keep them away from heat and humidity, which can impact the texture.

How long do French butter cookies last?

Like other butter cookies or shortbread, French butter cookies last for about two weeks when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you make the dough ahead of time, it will last in the refrigerator for three days before baking.

Can you freeze French butter cookies?

Yes! You can freeze French butter cookies for up to six months and well-wrapped French butter cookie dough for up to three months. Let the cookies come to room temperature before serving. Allow the frozen cookie dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

French Butter Cookie Tips

Taste Recipes

Why chill the dough for French butter cookies?

Popping your French butter cookie dough in the refrigerator firms up the butterfat to prevent the cookies from spreading too quickly in the oven.

How do you keep French butter cookies from spreading?

Any cookie-baking guide worth its sugar will tell you to chill most cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. This step is essential for a French butter cookies recipe to firm up the dough and prevent the rounds from melting into thin blobs while baking.

Why use room-temperature eggs for a French butter cookies recipe?

Baking with room-temperature eggs is better for blending. Mixing cold egg yolks with high-fat ingredients like butter can yield lumpy cookie dough.