Sablés sans oeufs

Yesterday, Ella had a playdate with her good friend Vera. When Lu heard the news that she wouldn't be going on the playdate, she was quite sad. But, she brightened up when I told her that we could make cookies while Ella was gone. I had intended to make Sugar Cookies and let her paint them with powdered sugar glaze. However, when it came time to do it, I realized that we didn't have eggs, and I didn't have time to run to the store. Thankfully, I remembered that I had a recipe for a cookie without eggs -- "Sablés sans oeufs." The word sablé is French for "sand" and describes this cookie's crumbly, sandy-like texture. They are basically like a butter shortbread cookie. Typically, they are brushed with an egg white wash before baking which gives them a shiny appearance. However, these are sans oeufs or "without eggs" so they don't have the egg wash. Quick, simple, easy.

I found this recipe at least 16 years ago in a cookbook that my French teacher had. Our assignment was to translate a recipe and then make it for the class to sample. The list of ingredients is short and the instructions were brief, so there wasn't much translating to do. However, I did have to figure out the measurements because the French use grams for measurement rather than cups. Whether or not I translated it accurately, this recipe is tasty. The added plus is that they'll work for people with egg allergies.

Sablés sans oeufs (Shortbread Cookies without Eggs)

1/2 cup sugar
vanilla, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon but more would be good too. Can you have too much vanilla?!)
3 Tablespoons milk
pinch of baking soda
pinch of salt
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup butter

In a bowl, mix the sugar, vanilla, milk, baking soda and salt. Add the flour and incorporate the butter. Knead the dough by hand. (I just used my KitchenAid.) Spread the dough out flat and cut into squares. Bake in the oven at 325 for about 20 minutes.

As you'll see from the picture, we made some as squares (quick & easy) and some as little Gingerbread Men. Since we read The Gingerbread Man recently, Lucie has been cutting out LOTS of Gingerbread Men with her playdough. She was REALLY excited to make cookies shaped like them. We baked the cutouts for the same amount of time and they turned out great. We also jazzed some up by sprinkling on some colored sugar before we baked them. Those turned out yummy and a bit more festive. I think it would work to paint them with a powdered sugar glaze as well.
---------------------------
For other cookie recipes, be sure to visit Life As Mom for Jessica's cookie-themed Ultimate Recipe Swap. Or try my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snickerdoodles or Walnut Bars.