Roasted Flour Squeeze Cookies

By neysa

Please try these simple sugar cookies from my hero Clotilde at Chocolate and Zucchini. I did, and made them consecutively every weekend for the next 6 months.

Ingredients

• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour (I used organic T65 flour)
• 75 g (1/3 cup) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt flakes (fleur de sel, kosher salt, crushed Maldon...)
• 75 g (6 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 to 3 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Spread the flour evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet and put in the oven to toast for 20 minutes, until fragrant, stirring the flour around every 5 minutes or so. (It may become lightly golden in places, but it should not change color overall.) Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the cookie sheet. This will take about an hour; you can toast the flour in advance and keep it in a jar.

Combine the toasted flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the diced butter and process until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Add the yolk and 1 tablespoon milk, and process in short pulses until the mixture clumps together when you squeeze it in your hand. If it is still too dry, add a little more milk. (The dough can also be mixed by hand, using the tips of your fingers or a wire pastry blender. Handle the dough as lightly as you can.)

Line a baking sheet (one that fits in your fridge) with parchment paper. Take a small handful of the dough and squeeze it in your hand to form the shape you prefer—either the simple“squeeze cookie”shape or a slightly flattened ball—and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Slip into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, keeping a close eye on them, until they’re golden at the edges. Let rest on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.