Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons flaky sea salt (like Fleur de sel)
- 1¼ cups (250g) sugar
- 3 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon milk, at room temperature
Note: Use 1 teaspoon salt if you have salted butter, or 1½ teaspoons if you use unsalted butter.
Instructions
- Mix the base: In a big bowl, mix butter, salt, and sugar until it looks light and fluffy. Add the 3 whole eggs (save the yolk for later) and stir until just mixed in.
- Add flour: Sift the flour over your butter mixture. Use a spatula to mix everything until it forms a soft ball. Stop mixing as soon as it comes together – don’t overmix or your cookies will be tough!
- Chill the dough: Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Prep for baking: Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Put a rack in the middle.
- Roll and cut: Put the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out until it’s ½-inch thick. Remove the top paper and cut out circles with a 2-inch cookie cutter.
- Prepare for baking: Move the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The dough is sticky, so use a spatula to help move them.
- Add egg wash: Mix the egg yolk with milk in a small bowl. Brush this on top of each cookie. Use a fork to make a crosshatch pattern on top.
- Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. They’re done when golden brown. The centers might look soft but they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Cool: Move cookies to a cooling rack right away.
Notes
- Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you start. This helps everything mix better.
- Don’t overmix the dough once you add the flour. This keeps your cookies tender.
- If your dough is too sticky to work with, chill it for an extra 30 minutes.
- Use good quality sea salt – it really makes a difference in taste.
- The crosshatch pattern isn’t just pretty – it helps the cookies bake evenly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 20g)
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg