Cookies: Sable Cut-Outs

When I lived in Seattle I worked very near Pike Place Market and one of my favorite treats was a chocolate sable cookie from Le Panier Bakery.  They're huge, full of hazelnut and chocolate and delicious.  So, when I came across this recipe for sable cookies, I had to add chocolate and hazelnuts.  And since I was making them for my neighbor's Anti-Valentine's Day party, they had to be hearts (some with holes in them).

Sable Cookies
Makes 24 to 36

10 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. finely chopped hazelnuts

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg and extract. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, slowly.  Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.  Divide into halves or thirds and place each portion on a sheet of parchment paper.  Top with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out between sheets.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  Remove top layer of parchment, cut out desired shape, place on tray and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.  Let rest on sheet for a few minutes before moving to cooling rack.

The recipe was great and didn't need any fussing, I just added the mini chocolate chips and finely chopped hazelnuts (the small size is important folks).

Then I plopped some of the dough between two sheets of parchment, rolled it to an even thickness and stashed them in the fridge.

After an hour or two, I took them out and removed the top sheet of parchment.  I grabbed my cookie cutters and went to town.  You have to press fairly hard to get the cookie cutters through the chocolate and nuts, but since the dough is pre-rolled, it stays very chilled and makes a very nice cut-out.

After you've placed them on your silicone lined tray, bake until golden brown.

Mmm, so good.

And by far, the easiest cut out cookies I've ever made.  The 'parchment pre-roll' is the way to go, I promise.