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You are here: Home / Cookies / BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SABLES AND OTHER HOLIDAY GIFTS

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SABLES AND OTHER HOLIDAY GIFTS

December 24, 2017

bittersweet chocolate sable shortbread dorie greenspan smitten kitchen

What’s in a name?

I came across a cookie on a Smitten Kitchen IG feed about a week ago, and I was instantly curious; it looked like a classic chocolate shortbread recipe but with a greater-than-usual percentage of salt and the added indulgence of chopped bittersweet chocolate.

SK’s Ms. Perelman attributed the recipe to Dorie Greenspan, a cookie maven/baking genius and I then remembered reading about this recipe quite a few years before (it had made the rounds only to enjoy a Ms. Perelman resurgence of late).

Allegedly the recipe was given to Ms. Greenspan from none other than Pierre Herme, the masterful French pastry guru who created it for a certain Parisian restaurant.

So some know these cookies by their French name, Sables Chocolats. Others by the name Korovo, the restaurant in which Mr. Herme debuted them. And then there’s the moniker given to them by Ms. Perelman.

Chocolate Smitten Kitchen Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie

World Peace Cookies.

As the story goes, Dorie’s neighbor took one bite of these cookies and commented that peace would be assured if everyone on earth was given one of these sublime cookies.

When cookies like these are on hand, why fight?

I was curious. Were they all that?

I bought some of this very good Belgian chocolate at Trader Joe’s

bittersweet chocolate sable shortbread dorie greenspan smitten kitchen

and I chopped it up into smallish pieces.

Sure, I could have spent easily three times that amount on fancier bars but why — especially for an inaugural cookie trip?

The dough was a breeze to pull together in my KitchenAid; you begin by mixing just butter and two sugars and then add a little vanilla and salt.

smitten kitchen dark chocolate sables

Next up a combination of flour/cocoa/baking soda is mixed in

smitten kitchen dark chocolate sables sablees

as too is the chopped chocolate.

chocolate for bittersweet chocolate sablees smitten kitchen dorie greenspan cookies

I think it’s best to hand-mix at this point so as not to overdo it; a light hand is the secret to the most delicate shortbread crumb.

Here’s what the dough looked like right out of the mixing bowl.

bittersweet chocolate sablees smitten kitchen dorie greenspan cookies

I then shaped it into logs, using a ruler to get crisp sides,

bittersweet chocolate sablees smitten kitchen dorie greenspan cookies

and as it went into the freezer wrapped in wax paper, I thought, wow, this smells and looks like the best damn slice and bake I’ve ever come across.

bittersweet chocolate sablees smitten kitchen dorie greenspan cookies

The next day I pulled the logs out of the freezer and sliced them into thick rectangles and got them into the preheated oven.  They only took about fifteen minutes to cook until the cookies no longer looked wet.

dark chocolate sables bittersweet cookies smitten kitchen

Because not all the chopped chocolate pieces were the exact same size, each piece of sable/shortbread had little rivets and divets of molten chocolate held captive in the tender cooked cocoa-enhanced cooked shortbread.

And let me tell you, friends, these cookies are so so simple, but they are spectacular. 

bittersweet chocolate sable shortbread dorie greenspan smitten kitchen

(And here is the recipe if you want to make them yourself.)

I tried to eat just one but I couldn’t.

They taste like a combination of the best brownie (for a straight up chocolate hit) and shortbread (for the delicacy of the exquisite buttery and tendery crumb).

The cookies that escaped my or my family’s clutches were packaged up.

bittersweet chocolate sable shortbread dorie greenspan smitten kitchen

I used aqua yarn from Goodwill and tags made from photocopied vintage cards.

bittersweet chocolate sable shortbread dorie greenspan smitten kitchen

I dropped them off all up and down the street.

Yes, if you live within 150 feet of my front door you get hit all the time with baked goodness.

bittersweet chocolate sable shortbread dorie greenspan smitten kitchen

But here’s the funny thing.

The last couple days have seen a flurry of treats left on my porch, too.

From the copiously talented Rebecca Ringquist (of the wonderful  dropclothsampler blog), I received these bevy of lovelies.

drop cloth sampler holiday food gifts

Each cookie variety was spectacular, but I loved the thyme shortbread the best: a marvelous savory buttery cookie with a subtle herby undercarriage.

thyme shortbread holiday gift drop cloth sampler

I love homemade treats,

Holiday GIft Drop Cloth Sampler

especially the ones with wee hand written tags featuring beautiful handwriting.

Also on my door step was this — a friend’s famous white chocolate peppermint bark.

white chocolate bark holiday gift

These are a but of the few things coming in lately — so often they are inhaled before I remember to take a snap.

And so my friends, I’m off.

I’m making cookies — lots of them.

IMG_4737

I’ve got presents to wrap, a party I’m hosting to cook for, and all the other last minutes details to get ready for St. Nick.

So wherever you are, Merry Christmas and the  happiest of holidays.

I hope you’re surrounded by a cozy fire, lots of love, pretty music

IMG_4738

and far too many sprinkles.

Filed Under: Cookies

« A VERY VINTAGE HOLIDAY HOUSE
A VERY FOODIE CHRISTMAS »

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Hurlow-Hannah says

    December 24, 2017 at 2:50 am

    Merry Christmas Sarah, to you and your wonderful family!

    Reply
  2. Sasha Kaplan says

    December 24, 2017 at 4:32 am

    Happy holidays Sarah and family! It was fab to see you and Danielle earlier this month. Just made a good sturdy chocolate layer cake and a wild mushroom shepard pie form the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook which I tweaked a little bit. Excellent.
    Hope to see you in the new year!
    Much love to you all, Sasha

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      December 24, 2017 at 5:01 am

      I miss you so much. Let’s make a plan for 2018. xO

      Reply
  3. Leah Hermes says

    December 24, 2017 at 5:17 am

    I’m going to try making these chocolate sables tomorrow! I need to add a new cookie to my repetoire! Thanks for all the delicious treats you’ve shared with me! Merry Christmas!

    Reply
    • Sarah Kline says

      December 24, 2017 at 1:44 pm

      It’s my pleasure. Let me know how they turn out!

      Reply
  4. Laurie Romanaggi says

    December 24, 2017 at 6:04 pm

    Merry, Merry of Merriest!

    Reply
  5. Connie says

    December 24, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    What lovely neighbors you have (and what a lovely neighbor you are)! We are appreciating our own neighbors who are giving us access to their oven, after our own gave out yesterday. It certainly is the season for appreciation and gratitude, and I’m grateful to you for your lovely and inspiring posts throughout the year. Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

    Reply

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