Pin it
These tasty shortbreads bring together gooey caramel with nutty gianduja, giving you that fancy bakery cookie vibe right from your own place. They're bound to wow your friends, but honestly? They're easy enough to whip up at home.
I came up with this after I splurged on some cookies in a little Paris bakery. Ever since, my pals beg for them at our Sunday hangs.
Dreamy Ingredients
- Butter: 80 g, left out until it's soft for that melt-in-your-mouth texture
- Egg yolk: 30 g for color and richness
- Baking powder: 4 g, just enough to help them puff a bit
- T55 flour: 100 g, sifted so nothing clumps up
- Caster sugar: 65 g, makes them crisp and light
- Fleur de sel: pinch—makes all those flavors sing
- Caster sugar: 70 g, plus 7 g water for that caramel glow
- Liquid cream: 47 g, 30% fat to keep things smooth
- Salted butter: 20 g for a silky finish
- Fleur de sel: just a pinch—can’t skip that sweet and salty kick
- Roasted hazelnuts: 50 g—go for the freshest you can grab
- Powdered sugar: 50 g, this is what makes it creamy
- 66% dark chocolate: 50 g, pick a fancy bar if you can
Step-by-Step Simple Directions
- Mix up your shortbread:
- Toss soft butter, sugar, and that pinch of salt into a bowl. Blend until creamy and smooth. Next, drop in your egg yolk and stir until it’s all combined. Now sift flour and baking powder right on top. Gently mash it all together, but don’t overdo it—you want the dough just coming together.
- Shape and bake:
- Roll dough between two baking sheets to about 7 mm thick. Slide it into the fridge for 20 minutes so it firms up. Cut out circles to fit your pans, then lay them into the bottom of each mold. Pop in the oven for about 17 to 20 minutes till they’re golden. Let them cool down right inside their pans—they’ll keep their cute shape.
- Make your caramel:
- Warm up the cream in the microwave until hot. In a pot (heavy-bottomed is best), pour in water, then sugar, and heat on medium. Don’t stir—just watch for that deep amber. Slowly pour in hot cream in three goes, heating briefly between. Once it’s sat for about five minutes, toss in cold butter pieces with a sprinkle of salt. Scoop the caramel into a piping bag.
- Whip up the gianduja:
- Blitz hazelnuts with powdered sugar until it’s pasty—friction heating up is totally normal. Melt chocolate in a water bath or microwave (30-second bursts). Stir chocolate into the nut paste, blitz again, then pipe into a bag.
- Final build:
- Squeeze a layer of caramel into each cookie well. Chill them for an hour, so it firms up. Pipe about 15 g gianduja over every shortbread. Decorate with whole hazelnuts if you’ve got them and chill until serving. Right before eating, sprinkle extra fleur de sel on top—they’ll blow everyone away.
What I love most is how a dash of fleur de sel totally changes the flavor game here. First time I served these for a birthday, folks thought I’d bought them from a high-end pastry shop.
Storage & Keeping Fresh
They’ll stay fresh for 4 days in a sealed box in the fridge. Pull them out 10 minutes before eating so the caramel and gianduja go soft again. You can do the baking and caramel beforehand, then finish putting them together the night before serving, if you wanna prep early.
Fun Ways to Change It Up
Make them your own! Want to mix in new tastes? Stir some instant coffee into the caramel and you’ve got a coffee version. For a fruitier twist, grate in orange zest to the shortbread dough. Try swapping hazelnuts for pistachios or almonds for your signature style.
Pin it
Pairings & Serving Ideas
These go awesome with strong black coffee or a cup of Earl Grey tea for a fancy-feeling snack. Want a sharp look? Set them out on a slate platter with spare hazelnuts and chocolate bits. Or throw them in as part of a little treat platter for a party finish.
Pro Tricks
- Don’t ever stir the sugar when making caramel, and pick a light-colored pot so you can keep an eye on that golden color
- No individual molds? Lay cookie cutters on a baking sheet and shape them that way
- If cookies won’t pop out of their pans, rest them a few seconds on something warm and they’ll slip right out
Frequently Asked Questions
- → How can I nail the perfect caramel?
Heat sugar with a splash of water until it turns amber, then slowly stir in warm cream in three additions, reheating if needed. Finish by mixing in butter and a pinch of salt for a flavorful blend.
- → What's the best chocolate for gianduja?
Pick a 66% cocoa chocolate for a rich and balanced taste that pairs perfectly with roasted hazelnuts.
- → Can I make these sablés ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can prepare them in advance. Store them with the caramel and gianduja already assembled—just keep them cool for freshness and crunch.
- → How should I store caramel and gianduja sablés?
Put them in an airtight container in the fridge, but let them sit out briefly before serving to bring back their ideal texture.
- → Can I swap out hazelnuts in the gianduja?
Of course! Try almonds or walnuts instead if you prefer. The taste will change a bit, but it'll still be delicious.