Cookie Recipe #212 - Sables with Caramel Glaze

This is a buttery French cookie topped with a caramel glaze before baking.

Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 egg yolk, for glazing, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons water, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 cup water.

Instructions: First make the caramel syrup as follows: put the granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons water, and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Place over a low heat and stir until no longer cloudy. Boil until bubbly and allow to become a rich golden brown. Once this color, remove the pan immediately from the heat and plunge the base of the pan into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Carefully stir in the 1/4 cup water. Set the caramel syrup aside to cool completely. (If caramel does not dissolve evenly when the water is added, place the pan over a low heat and stir until it is completely dissolved).

For cookies, place the flour, salt, confectioners' sugar, and butter iinto a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (or use your fingers). Add the egg yolks and vanilla and blend until the mixture just begins to come together as a firm dough (may take about 30 seconds). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, then chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Stamp out rounds with a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter (or desired shape). Arrange on prepared baking sheets. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of the caramel glaze. Use this to brush the tops of each cookie sparingly. Allow to dry then apply a second coat of glaze. Using a fork, prick the cookies a couple of times, then drag the tines of the fork over the glaze to form a crisscross design.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Serve leftover glaze with cookies (for dipping) or use to flavor a fruit salad.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

"The Cookie and Biscuit Bible", Hermes House, London, 2010.

Cookies Rule!!!