French Vanilla Pistachio Sables

I am hit by the lazy bugs and I don’t really feel like doing much nowadays. I usually get depressed during this time of the year as I will be thinking of home and family. With everyone posting their CNY gatherings with family and friends on FB make it worst. I wish I can be home with my family. Well, I guess this is what we have to sacrifice being away from home. Well, enough of my depressing feelings and let’s talk about this cookie. I don’t use pistachio much in my baking but I bought it to make Macaroons last year and I still have ¾ packets of the pistachio meal and shelled nuts sitting in my fridge. I decided to make some ‘sable’ out of it. The first time I heard about this cookie was from a French Pastry Chef whom I took bread lesson from. Sables, also known as a French Butter Cookie or Breton Biscuit, are a classic French cookie originating in Normandy France. The name 'Sables' is French for "sand", which refers to the sandy texture of this delicate and crumbly shortbread-like cookie.

 

Ingredients:
Adapted from Cookie Unlimited by Nick Malgieri

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup pistachio meal/ground pistachio nuts
1/2 cup chopped roasted unsalted pistachios

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well mixed, light colored, and fluffy, about 4 or 5 minutes, then beat in the vanilla and egg yolk. Continue beating until very smooth, about 2 more minutes.
2. Scrape the bowl and beater well and beat in the flour. Remove the dough from mixer bowl shape into a disc wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Once dough has been chilled remove from refrigerator and squeeze into a rough cylinder, about 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.
4. On a piece of plastic wrap place the chopped pistachios on it. Roll the cookie over the pistachios; tighten the plastic wrap around by twisting each end of the roll. Chill the dough until firm. (Or, at this stage it can be double wrapped in plastic wrap or parchment paper, frozen, and kept for up to several weeks)
5. Line 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with parchment paper or foil. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat to 350 degrees F. Slice the cookies 1/4 inch thick rotating the roll of the dough often so it won't become squashed and misshapen from the weight of the knife.
6. Arrange the cookies on the prepared pans with about an inch between them in all directions. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn and rotate pans from top to bottom bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cookies have puffed somewhat and become dull and are firm to the touch. Slide the papers from the pans onto racks.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover .