Easy Eggless Butter Cookies with 50% Atta!

Egg-free, buttery, easy, 50% whole wheat and adaptable! What's not to love about these tender-crisp delicious cookies? The dough for these cookies is made in just 2 minutes in the KItchenAid stand mixer! 

I absolutely adore Alice Medrich's recipes and and have had success with so many. Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt in Your Mouth Cookies* is one of her books I use ever so often! With this book, you can fill your cookie jar with different cookies every time.

This recipe is from the section for melt-in-your-mouth cookies. One of the surprising revelations here is her method of making butter cookies. While most recipes call for creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy, she tells you not to! So what according to her does it take to produce good cookies? 

Alice recommends mixing the butter and sugar only until  it is smooth and creamy as this will make the cookies crisp and tender. We do not want to beat the sugar and butter until fluffy as she says the cookies may turn out dry and coarse. Don't I love her even more as this makes the job easier for the baker!

This recipe for French butter cookies is from Alice Medrich, they are called Sable cookies or Sables as they have a delicate sandy texture.

This is an extremely simple recipe with just 3 ingredients, butter,sugar and flour. If you don’t count the salt and vanilla that is. In recipes like this,it is all the more important to use fresh good quality ingredients for best results. Again, details make all the difference,so please watch the video carefully.  

Check out my online baking sessions for beginners here 

Please weigh the ingredients carefully and line them up on the counter before beginning the mixing process. 

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour / Atta - 112 grams

Plain flour / Maida - 126 grams

Unsalted butter, at room temperature - 198 grams 

Caster Sugar - 100 grams / 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Pure vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon

Method: 

• Fit your stand mixer* with the paddle attachment. 
• Whisk together the whole wheat flour and plain flour thoroughly. Set aside.
• Take the butter, salt , sugar and vanilla in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat them until smooth and creamy(not light and fluffy)You can also do this with a wooden spoon but making it in the stand mixer is easier and effortless. I mix on speed 4 for about a minute.
• Add in the flours and mix just until incorporated. This is very important as over mixing will make the cookies tough instead of tender.
• Scrape the dough on the counter, bring it together. If necessary knead lightly to make sure the flour is completely incorporated. 
• Divide the dough into 2 parts,place on cling film and form into logs. 
• Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or even better overnight. This rest is very important as the dough absorbs the moisture and flavors better. Do not skip this step.
• The dough will firm up quite a bit after overnight refrigeration,it will be easier to slice.
• When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 180 C / 350 F.  Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil, dull side facing up. Do not grease. 
• Using a sharp knife, cut the cold dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. 
• Place the cookies at least 1.5 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until the edges turn a light golden brown.(If using an OTG, rotate trays half-way through)
• Once done, lift the foil(with the cookies) and place on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before storing airtight. 

I love these cookies when they have just cooled. Alice says you can store the cookies for a month. 

Variations:

You can try different flavors, but I loved  the plain vanilla ones the best!

• Add 1/3 cup(1.33 oz) roasted cacao nibs with or without 1 cup chopped raw or toasted nuts to the creamed butter and sugar
• Add 1 teaspoon crushed saffron strands or powder and 1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom, 1 cup toasted and chopped pistachios.
• Get imaginative with the combinations of nuts,hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew,pecans,sesame seeds with your fav spices - nutmeg, cinnamon, anything!

Do absolutely try these cookies, this will be a great basic butter cookie dough to have in your repertoire!

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