French Salted Butter Cookies

Buttery French-style cookies with a hint of sea salt basically melt as soon as you taste them. They're awesome with a cup of tea or just whenever you feel like a little pick-me-up. Every bite might send you daydreaming of a cozy Paris café.

Your kitchen will smell amazing. I actually tried these out on a gray, rainy day and my friends polished off the batch in no time. Bake these even on boring days—they make everything feel a bit more fun.

Dreamy Ingredients

• Baking powder: gets a bit of lift in there, just be sure it's new enough to work
• French unsalted butter: the star, packed with flavor, spring for a fancy European stick if you can
• Granulated sugar: brings that sweet bite, superfine makes the cookies even smoother
• All purpose flour: keeps things tender, pick a regular one that's not too protein-heavy
• Large egg: adds chewiness, fresher the egg, the nicer the dough
• Sea salt or fleur de sel: tops things off with a tasty crunch, try to find French sea salt if you can swing it
• Vanilla extract: gives off cozy, warm flavors, use the real deal if possible

Easy Steps to Follow

Dive In and Bake:

Pop the trays in the oven and watch for golden edges. Give the sheets a half turn so they brown up nice and even—ten or twelve minutes, tops.

Finishing Touches:

Once baked, don’t move them for three minutes. This helps them stay together. Then switch to a rack and let them finish cooling so they get that perfect crunch.

Enjoy and Share:

Pile your cookies onto any plate you like. Honestly, they're best warm, but they save well if you toss them in a tin.

Here Comes the Salt:

Pinch some fancy flaky salt over every ball before they hit the oven. This is where that salty pop comes in.

Get Your Trays and Oven Ready:

Set your oven and cover two pans with parchment. Cold trays matter—they keep the butter from going runny too soon.

Mix It All Together:

Slowly add your flour blend to the butter mixture on a low setting, or by spatula. It’ll turn into a soft dough that leaves the bowl pretty clean. Stop when you don’t see flour bits anymore.

Make and Chill:

Smoosh the dough into a disc, wrap snug, and pop it in the fridge for half an hour or more. Don’t skip chilling—it keeps cookies from flattening out and deepens the flavor.

Combine the Dry Bits:

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in another bowl. This adds a little air, keeps the cookies fluffy.

Beat Butter and Sugar:

Toss soft butter and sugar in a big bowl, beat until they turn light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape the sides a lot so it’s all mixed right. This is why they practically melt.

Add Eggs and Vanilla Next:

Chuck in the egg and vanilla and mix until it's all one smooth, shiny dough. That's how you know it's properly mixed.

Ball Time:

Use a tablespoon to grab dough and roll into balls. Make sure to leave space on your trays so they don’t crowd each other.

Pin it

Things Worth Knowing

• Butter is the main flavor, making them extra rich
• Perfect buddy for tea or coffee breaks
• You can freeze the dough and just bake when you crave fresh cookies

That finishing touch of fleur de sel? Makes every bite pop. It’s not just salt, it’s a little crunch too. Baking these with my grandma still brings me back to her bright Paris kitchen. She swore every great cookie started with top-shelf ingredients.

Storing Made Simple

Keep your cookies in a sealed box on the counter for up to five days. If you want to keep them crispy, drop a slice of bread in with them. Dough freezes too—just wrap and stash, then cut and bake straight from the freezer whenever you want a treat.

Pin it

Swaps and Switches

If French butter is tricky to find, any good American or Irish unsalted butter will do. Go for a European-style vegan butter if you can’t do dairy. For skipping eggs, plain yogurt (one tablespoon per egg) works fine in the mix.

Serving Fun

Scoop up these cookies with some fresh berries or pile with whipped cream for an easy treat. They also make sweet gifts—just slip a few into a paper bag with some extra fleur de sel for a nice touch.

A Little Backstory

This treat takes after Brittany’s well-loved sablés, known for their crumbly, sandy texture you get from gentle mixing and plenty of cold, good butter. “Sablé” means sandy in French, all about that melt-in-your-mouth bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ What type of butter is best for these cookies?

If you can, grab some French butter for that iconic rich flavor and smooth texture. Any European-style unsalted butter will also do the trick just fine.

→ Can I use regular salt instead of sea salt?

Sea salt or a bit of fleur de sel gives these cookies special flavor. Table salt is fine mixed in, but finish with the fancy salt if you want the best taste.

→ Why should the dough be chilled before baking?

Popping the dough in the fridge keeps the cookies from spreading out and helps them turn out crisp but still tender inside.

→ How do I know when the cookies are done?

Once the edges turn a light gold and the middle looks just set, you’re good. The cookies get firmer as they cool, so don’t overbake.

→ Can I freeze the dough for later use?

Totally! Scoop and chill dough balls on a tray, then stash in a bag to freeze for up to 2 months. Bake straight from the freezer—just tack on an extra minute or so.