Hi there! I’m Cassandre. Today on caramel loafing, I’m sharing a simple yet classic French butter cookie: Sablés Nantais, also known as French Nantes Shortbread.
This crisp, buttery cookie comes from Nantes, a port city in western France famous for its rich, butter-based pastries. In the past, Nantes was a major hub for sugar and spirits trade, inspiring local treats like the beloved Nantais Cake and these deliciously crisp Sablés Nantais.
If you’ve made our Breton Shortbread before, this recipe will feel familiar. The biggest difference is that Sablés Nantais are thinner, larger in diameter, and hold their round shape without using a pastry ring. They’re wonderfully crisp, buttery, and have a hint of salt that makes them so moreish.
Did you know that the famous Japanese butter cookie souvenir, Échiré Maison DU Beurre, has a best-selling cookie inspired by Sablés Nantais (they’re called 『サブレ ナンテ』 in Japanese). Now you can make them yourself, no long lines in Japan needed!
Cookies like these bring a bit of everyday happiness to any moment — with afternoon tea, a quick snack, or a simple treat to share. Sablés Nantais are just that kind of cookie: easy to make, easy to store, and beautifully balanced in flavor. I’ll share a few tips too, so you can bake this classic French cookie right at home.
Once you master sablé dough, you’ll love trying other recipes like: Diamond Sablé Cookies, Jam-Filled Sablé Cookies, or a French Blueberry Tart (which uses a classic sablé crust).
You’ll probably also love these other French treats: French Almond Tuiles, Langues de Chat (French Cat Tongue Cookies), and Florentine Toffee Nut Cookies.
French Sablés Nantais Recipe & How To
Ingredients for Sablés Nantais
📍Cookie cutter: 2.75 inch (7 cm) diameter
📍Yield: makes 12 cookies
☞ Cookie Dough
- Unsalted butter 60g (2.1 oz)
- Powdered sugar 55g (1.9 oz)
- Pinch of salt, about 1.5g
- Whole egg 24g (0.85 oz), beaten
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- Cake flour 120g (4.2 oz)
- Aluminum-free baking powder 2.5g (0.09 oz)
☞ Egg Wash
- Beaten egg 15g (0.53 oz)
- Instant black coffee 2g (0.07 oz)
- Hot water 8g (0.28 oz)
Curious about nutrition? Use our caramel loafing Nutrition Calculator to see all the details for this recipe.
How to Make Sablés Nantais
- Scrape the vanilla seeds into the beaten egg; add the salt and mix well until dissolved. Set aside.
- Lightly butter a flat baking sheet with softened butter.
- Sift the flour, powdered sugar, and baking powder together; add to a food processor and blend well.
- Add chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the vanilla egg mixture; pulse just until a dough forms.
- On a work surface, gently smear the dough with the heel of your hand to help it come together smoothly; do this 1–2 times, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Prepare the egg wash: dissolve 2g instant coffee in 8g hot water; stir well. Add 2.5g of the coffee mixture to 15g beaten egg; mix well. (Adjust water to use the minimum needed to dissolve your brand of instant coffee.)
- Roll the dough to about 1/6 inch (4mm) thick. Use a 2.75 inch (7 cm) round cutter to cut out 12 cookies.
- Place cookies on the baking sheet with about 1/2–3/4 inch (1–2 cm) between each. Brush a layer of coffee egg wash; chill for 20 minutes to dry.
- Brush a second layer of egg wash; score decorative lines with a fork.
- Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C); bake for 22–23 minutes until tops are golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack; once fully cool, store in an airtight container in a dry place below 68°F (20°C) or refrigerate.
Watch the full step-by-step video: How to Make French Sablés Nantais
Sablés Nantais FAQ & Tips
Sablés Nantais may look simple, but they’re full of little details. Here are answers to the most common questions to help you get perfectly crisp, buttery cookies every time.
Why must the butter be cold?
This is a sablé-style dough; you need chilled butter to create that crumbly, sandy texture. Soft butter will ruin the flakiness and cause the cookies to spread or lose shape.
Can I make sablé dough by hand?
Absolutely! We’ve shared sablé recipes using both a food processor and the hand-rubbed method.
There are two common techniques: the cut-in method (rubbing cold butter into dry ingredients until sandy, then adding egg) and the creaming method (creaming softened butter and sugar, then emulsifying with egg before adding flour). For the hand-rubbed method, check our Jam-Filled Sablé Cookies. For the creaming method, see our Breton Shortbread Recipe Video. Both work well; use what suits you best!
How do I make the coffee egg wash?
The coffee egg wash gives these cookies their beautiful golden color with a subtle coffee aroma. Different brands of instant coffee dissolve differently; adjust your water to get the smallest amount needed for a strong coffee flavor and nice color.
Brush in two coats: chill the first layer for 20 minutes to dry, then brush the second and score lines. This makes the finish smooth and even; if you brush too thickly at once, it can crack or bake unevenly.
Any tips for the surface pattern?
Use a fork to gently score a crosshatch or sunburst pattern — a classic look for Sablés Nantais. This helps the egg wash bake evenly and prevents bubbles.
What’s the best thickness and cutter size?
About 1/6 inch (4mm) thick is perfect: too thick and they won’t be as crisp, too thin and they may burn. A 2.75–3 inch (7–8 cm) cutter works well; keep at least 1/2 inch (1 cm) between cookies on the sheet.
How should I store these cookies?
Let them cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in a dry spot below 68°F (20°C). If your kitchen is warm, store in the fridge instead. If they get soft, you can re-crisp them in a low oven for a few minutes — just like freshly baked!