Sablés Korova

Who doesn't love a chocolate biscuit full of dark chocolate chips?  Especially when they are dark and sandy, like their name.  I seem to be making a lot of chocolatey biscuits lately - and a good thing too.  So here we have another recipe made for Cookbook Club.  We were using Emelia Jackson's cookbook Some of my best friends are Cookies.  (Love that title!)  And this is a beauty.  She has some really fabulous recipes in her book.    

These are called sablé due to their sandy texture, that being the French word for sand.  And indeed the texture is very sandy!  Speaking of sand, that reminds me of a Texan lady currently living in Brisbane - Lex in Wonderland.  I really enjoy her Instagram account, as she describes all the differences and things she loves about life in Australia.  

One of the things she mentions is seeing accessible beach matting here in Queensland.  She was amazed when her husband told her what it was for - i.e. allowing disabled people, people in wheelchairs, or with baby strollers and so on, access to the beach!  My disabled hubby for instance finds it very hard to walk on sand, so this is a wonderful thing for many!       

dark and mysterious!

(Recipe by Emelia Jackson: Some of my best friends are Cookies:)

(Start this one early - or the day before, as it has to be refrigerated for some hours, or overnight)

Makes 16:

ingredients:

200g./7 oz plain flour

45g./1.5 oz dark cocoa powder

1/2 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)

120g./4.25 oz butter, softened

180g./6 oz brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

150g./5.5 oz dark chocolate chips

I love vanilla!

Method:

Put the flour, cocoa and bi-carb into a large mixing bowl, and give it a good whisking

Now either use your stand mixer or just electric beaters as I do, and put the butter, brown sugar, salt and vanilla into a mixing bowl, and beat till softened and well-mixed (Emelia says on medium-low speed if using a stand mixer) 

Now add the flour and cocoa mixture to the buttery mixture, and mix till just combined (Emelia says it will look sandy) - I finished mixing it with a spatula!

Add the chocolate chips, and mix them in - don't worry about its sandy, clumpy appearance, says our mate Emelia

Grab some clingfilm/plastic wrap, and line your bench with it

And now dump the sablé mixture onto the clingfilm, form a log shape, and roll it firmly in the plastic wrap - you want to end up with a 30cm/12 inch log

Wrap it in another layer of clingfilm if you feel the need to enforce the log shape :=)

And into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight (or whack the dough into the freezer, and bake from frozen)

The next day: turn on your oven to 160C/315F fan-forced to heat up

Line 2 baking trays with baking paper

Slice the dough into 1cm/0.5 inch (or thicker if you please) pieces, and place on your trays

Bake for 12-13 minutes till dry and set    see  Notes

Cool completely on the trays

Notes:

I used half black cocoa and half Dutch cocoa to give them a lovely dark colour

And I used dark brown sugar, and a mix of 175g. regular plain flour plus 25g. wholemeal plain flour

I rebelled and used 2 tsp of vanilla, and salted butter (she says to use unsalted but you know that's the Devil's work!)

I ended up baking mine at 180C/350F fan-forced (I think) for 20 minutes! - but my gas oven is a bit old and cranky, like me :)

use some wholemeal flour too, for healthy:=)

ingredients gathered

flour mixture goes into the butter mixture

stir in the chocolate chips

yep, I know what you're thinking :=)

slicing it up

and into the oven

looking different :) but ready to eat

I took some to our local bookshop

As I often do, I took along some of these to the gals at our local bookshop Quick Brown Fox!  Only Theresa was in, so she was left with an ethical dilemma.  What to do? what to do? - hehehe ...