Cranberry Pistachio Sables Recipe
These little gems are a great standard recipe to know. They incorporate holiday colors and flavors in a treat that’s both sweet and a little salty. The cookie's texture is crumbly, the cranberries are chewy and the pistachios lend just the right amount of crunch to finish it off. These sables are holiday perfection.
Sam Henderson
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature / 170g
1 cup confectioners’ sugar / 125g
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 cups flour / 190g
3/4 cup ground almonds / 110g
3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped / 110g
1/2 cup pistachios, finely chopped / 75g
Yield: About 3 dozen cookies
Create Dough
Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth and creamy (30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on how soft it is at the start). Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat again until you get a smooth consistency. Add the egg yolks and lemon juice. Beat until fully combined. Add the flour and ground almonds and beat just until blended. Add cranberries and beat on low just until combined.
Form Cookie Logs and Let Dough Rest
Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Press it together with your hands; then divide it into two equal parts. Form each part into a log that is about 2” in diameter. Place a piece of cling film on the counter that is about 6” longer than a log. In the center of the cling film, sprinkle half of the chopped pistachios in a rectangle that is the length of a log and about 3-1/2" wide. Lay one of the logs on one edge of the rectangle and roll it in the pistachios to cover the outside. Add more pistachios as needed. Move the log to the edge of the cling film and roll the film tightly around it. Twist the ends to remove and air and make the log compact. Repeat for the other log and then place both in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Bake Cookies
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one of the logs from the refrigerator and cut into 1/4" slices with a very sharp knife. Lay the slices on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat for the other log. Enjoy immediately or store cookies in an airtight container.
Sam Henderson
