Out provisioning on the weekend, I saw some P.A.N. flour – I’ve never cooked with it, but my friend L. has talked about using it for arepas. When I looked at the sandy texture of it, I immediately thought of sables. And you know how in those biscotti with the black pepper, or with pfefferneuse, or even a really strong ginger cookie there is that little surprise of heat that is just lovely with the sweet cookie crunch? I wondered how that corn flour would taste with a little pop of hot green chili. I wanted it with orange zest, but there was lime in the fridge…..
These came together easily – the dough is crumbly but sticks together with a little squeeze. At slicing time (three hours later – might improve overnight?), they were still crumbly but smooshed back together. Baked like a dream.
Had himself taste them, after rolling his eyes at seeing the chile. “That’s weird. But good. But weird.” as he reached for a second and then a third cookie.
This was a trial for the annual Christmas cookie run – not sure they’ll make the cut for that, but I do think I’ll make these again. They are much, much lighter than I thought they’d be, and that spicy-sweet action keeps us both reaching for the cookie plate.
If you make them, post how it goes!!
Corn Green Chile Sablés
Yield: 2 ½ dozen spicy-sweet goodies
In your mixer, combine:
2/3 c. sugar
2 c. P.A.N. white corn flour
¼ tsp. salt
zest of half a lime
Cube ¾ c. cold unsalted butter, and mix it in until the mixture ressembles fine moist crumbs.
Add ½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
Beat until combined.
Stir in 1/3 c. chopped roasted hot green chile.
Roll up like a log 2” in diameter, and refrigerate the dough a couple hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375*, and line cookie sheets with parchment. Slice in to ½” rounds (you may need to smoosh them back in to shape), sprinkle with some (sparkle) sugar, smoosh it gently in to the top of the cookie with your palm or a the bottom of a glass.
Bake 10-13 minutes, until set and just barely golden around the edges.
