If you love a buttery slightly crisp cookie, you are going to love my easy gluten free sable cookies recipe. This sable, or also called a French butter cookie, is delicious any time and it can be made in lots of different flavors.
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If you have never heard of a sable, I am excited to introduce you to these crisp little cookies! Also known as sable biscuits, or Sable Breton, these cookies hail from France's Normandy region.
The first time I tried a sable was at a restaurant in Berkeley several years ago. The sable cookie was the base of a baked Alaska recipe and it instantly became my favorite dessert ever. The chef's recipe was grain-free and made with almond flour and it was so good!
You can decorate the sables and make them fancy by rolling the cookie dough in coarse sugar, or gluten free sprinkles so when you slice and bake them, they have flashy edges. You can also roll this cookie dough out and use your favorite cookie cutters.
Sables not only make great stand-alone cookies, but the sable cookie dough also makes a great tart crust! You can use it to make my delicious homemade Gluten Free Lemon Tart recipe.
Why you should try this cookie recipe:
I consider this one of the must make gluten free cookies recipes on my blog because this is such a versatile cookie dough. You can flavor these sables in so many ways, or just add shaved chocolate! Kids love making these cut-out cookies!
If you have been looking for a gluten free cookie recipe that has very few ingredients, I highly encourage you to give this recipe a try!
If you are a cookie fanatic like me, you will want to try all of my delicious Gluten Free Cookie Recipes!
Ingredient notes:
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Vanilla - You can use pure vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla beans. I do not recommend imitation vanilla extract.
- Coarse sugar - This is optional, but it makes the edges of these cookies sparkle.
Recipe step by step directions:
Step 1: In a large bowl, add your dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
Step 2: In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix well.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix into a ball of cookie dough.
You can also mix this sable cookie dough in a standing mixer. To use a mixer, add your wet ingredients first, then gradually add in the dry ingredients until your cookie dough ball forms.
Step 4: Roll the cookie dough into a roll and press coarse sugar into the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes. You want the dough firm and cool, but soft enough to fix the roll in case it flattens on the bottom.
Step 5: Slice the cookie dough into slices and place onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes at 350º F. Remove from the oven and allow cooling on a baking rack.
Fun sable flavor variations to try:
- Almond sables - add 1 teaspoon of almond extract to the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with almond slices.
- Chocolate chip sables - add ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings to your cookie dough.
- Espresso sables - add 2 teaspoons powdered espresso to the dry ingredients and whisk it in. You can also add 3 tablespoons cocoa nibs for a little crunch!
- Dip or drizzle your vanilla sables with melted chocolate.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
You can easily freeze the sable dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap tightly and then place it into a freezer ziplock bag. The dough will keep up to 4 months.
The cookies are done baking when they are a pretty golden color.
These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Allow the cookies to cool completely then gently place them into a freezer bag.
More International gluten free cookies:
- Gluten Free Pfeffernusse Cookies
- Gluten Free Israeli Honey Cookies
- Raspberry French Macarons
- Gluten Free Linzer Tarte Cookies
*If you are looking for even more Gluten Free Cookies From Around the World, check out my incredible cookbook!
Reader Rave:
Recipe
Gluten Free Sables
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter softened, unsalted
- 1 egg size large
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract * see note
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend. If you are using a standing mixer, add the wet ingredients to the standing mixer.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend. If you are using a standing mixer, gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are mixed in.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Roll the dough into a log and then roll it in coarse sugar. This is optional but it gives the cookies a nice crisp edge.
- Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough and preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Slice the log of dough into cookies about ¼ inch in thickness and place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until they are slightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- These sable cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Almond sables - add 1 teaspoon of almond extract to the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with almond slices.
- Chocolate chip sables - add ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings to your cookie dough.
- Espresso sables - add 2 teaspoons powdered espresso to the dry ingredients and whisk it in. You can also add 3 tablespoons cocoa nibs for a little crunch!
- Dip or drizzle your vanilla sables with melted chocolate.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Vicki Backman
Hi Sandi, Can I roll the dough into balls and flatten them rather than rolling it into a log and slicing it because I would like to add a bit of jam to the centre of each cookie; do you think that will work with this recipe?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Vicki, rolling them would be fine. Let me know how they turn out. I love the idea of having jam centers.
Vicki Backman
I added half a teaspoon of almond extract to the recipe and reduced the vanilla to one and a half teaspoons, rolled them into one and a half inch balls, indented the centres and filled them with half a teaspoon of raspberry jam. I baked them at 325 for approximately 16 minutes until the edges were golden. I made a glaze consisting of 3/4 cup icing sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract and a couple of teaspoons of milk and drizzled it over the cookies while they were still a bit warm. Delicious! Thanks, Sandi.
Sandi Gaertner
I love that you turned the recipe into thumbprint cookies. They sound absolutely delicious!
Sam
These cookies were delicious, loved them!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe Sam :-).
Stephanie Miller
Love how simple this recipe is! I can't wait to give it a try! They look delish!!
Sandi Gaertner
Enjoy Stephanie 🙂
Venessa
Hello, I’m trying to enter the naked cookie dough giveaway. The chocolate mint flavor is the one I can’t wait to try first, although all of the flavors sound amazing! Thank you so much for all your hard work and recipes! Also thank you for this wonderful giveaway! 🌸
janet Leo
Love your fincetti scone recipe for years. It is the best ever!
I choose chocolate chip Naked GF. Cookie dough.