Toasted Flour Sablés Recipes

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 450°F. Sprinkle flour evenly over a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring often once top layer of flour browns, until all flour is golden, 10-15 minutes (flour will burn quickly, so check often). Let cool, then sift into a medium bowl and whisk in egg yolks and salt.
• Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture plus 2 Tbsp. water; mix just until combined (mixture will look crumbly but will hold together when pinched). Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and form into a 12" log. Tightly roll up in parchment, then wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice a little dough from both ends of log to square off; unwrap and slice dough 1/4" thick. Place on rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1" apart. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until edges are golden but centers are still pale, 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
• Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, working with a mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, egg and egg yolk until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the corn flour and all-purpose flour to a medium bowl, and whisk until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
• Lightly flour a work surface, and turn the dough out onto it. Divide the dough in half, and shape into 2 discs. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw for at least 3 hours at room temperature before rolling.)
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick, reflouring the surface and pin as needed. Cut out 2-inch rounds, and place 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Gather the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheets for 30 minutes before baking. (Alternatively, you can stack the cut-out rounds between sheets of parchment or wax paper, cover and refrigerate; place on baking sheets when you're ready to bake the cookies.)
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies until the centers are set and the edges are very lightly browned, 17 to 19 minutes. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Pulse toasted pecans with 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
• Beat together butter, remaining 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and beat well. Add flour and ground-pecan mixture and mix at low speed until just combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Dough will be crumbly but will hold together when squeezed.)
• Halve dough and roll out 1 half between 2 sheets of wax paper until 1/4 inch thick (about a 9-inch round). Cut out as many rounds as possible with cookie cutter and arrange about 2 inches apart on buttered large baking sheets, reserving scraps. Roll out and cut remaining dough in same manner. Gather scraps, then reroll and cut in same manner.
• Beat egg white until frothy, then brush tops of rounds lightly with egg white. Put a pecan half on top of each round, then brush pecan lightly with egg white.
• Bake cookies in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.