Espresso Chocolate Sablés by Caroline Schiff
These buttery French sablé-style cookies are pure elegance. You’ll want to use 100% Guittard Cocoa Rouge cocoa powder, with its deep, robustness, and tannic yet fruity Guittard 74% baking wafers in these luxe bites. It’s a dynamic duo that pairs beautifully with espresso and the little pop of orange zest. They’re a perfect bite for that afternoon pick-me-up or to end a rich meal.
Ingredients
2 sticks [228g] unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup [114g] powdered sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large orange
2 cups [240g] all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp espresso powder, divided
2 tbsp Guittard Cocoa Rouge Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1½ cup [255g] Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate Organic Wafers 74% Cacao, roughly chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Directions
In a mixing bowl combine the softened butter and powdered sugar and cream together using a wooden spoon, until smooth and uniform. Add the yolks, vanilla, and orange zest and mix until smooth and uniform.
Combine the flour, salt, 1 tbsp of the espresso powder, and the cocoa powder in a separate bowl and whisk together. Add the dry to the butter mixture and gently mix to incorporate, adding the chocolate discs once the dries are about 50% incorporated.
Once the dough is uniform, turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a long rectangular log, or a cylinder if you prefer. If it’s sticky, you can dust your hands with a little flour. The log should be about 12” long and roughly 2 ½” wide.
Once shaped, wrap in the parchment and transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can also wrap well in plastic once fimly chilled, and keep in the fridge for up to one week.
To bake, heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it soften slightly at room temperature so it’s easy to slice.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining espresso powder with the granulated sugar. Unwrap the dough and with a sharp knife, slice it into cookies about 1/2” thick.
Coat each cookie in the espresso sugar and transfer to the sheet pan, spacing the cookies about 2” apart.
Bake until just set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining dough. These cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
