Buckwheat Sablés with Chocolate

Nutty buckwheat flavor, the rich taste of butter and speckles of dark chocolate come together in a perfectly crisp shortbread cookie texture. These easy to make cookies are a must to try, and adopt. Buckwheat, a staple ingredient in Brittany.

I have always had a fondness for alternative flours, especially buckwheat flour. Buckwheat, known in French as “blé noir” or “sarrasin”, is a central ingredient in Brittany cooking. It features in many of our local specialties, like savory buckwheat crepes or the earthy kig ha farz meat stew.

I enjoyed this flour all throughout my childhood in France, and I have always loved it for its distinct earthy and nutty flavours. Buckwheat flour is gluten-free which makes it a good choice for anybody with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.

It is packed with nutrients and versatile. It is also widely available and a great choice for anyone just starting to play around in the kitchen with alternative flours.

However, note that these buckwheat sablés aren’t gluten-free since they use a combination of both buckwheat and all-purpose flour.

Notes on Buckwheat flour in the US/Canada vs. France

Since starting this blog, I have had a lot of people ask me about buckwheat flour. The question that I get the most is what brand/type of buckwheat flour to buy in the US/Canada to recreate the same taste and look as in France?

Most people point out that buckwheat flour is much darker in US/Canada, resulting in darker results in baked goods and crepes. What I have found from my experience of juggling back and forth between North American and French flours is that the French buckwheat flour is usually sold in a refined form, whereas buckwheat flour in North America is usually left whole grain.

• Un-refined North American buckwheat flour found in North America is grainier and darker in color. It will for instance create sablés or savory crêpes that are much darker in color and with a more assertive taste. Examples of North American whole-grain buckwheat flours are Bob’s Red Mill Organic Buckwheat Flour and the one you can find in bulk at a store like Bulk Barn.
• Refined French buckwheat flour is usually powderier in texture and lighter in color. An example of French buckwheat flour is Treblec’s, which is sold everywhere in France, and online. This is probably one of the most famous brands, and the one that I grew up enjoying for making baked goods.

I personally have no objection using either kind of these buckwheat flours – whole grain or refined. I just know what to expect.

For instance, I often baked these Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies while in Canada, and they ended up darker and earthier in taste since I was using whole grain buckwheat flour. The sablés pictured here look lighter in color as they were made using French Treblec’s flour (since I recently moved back to France). How to store these buckwheat sablés:

• Once completely cooled, you can store the sablés in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I think they tend to get better and better every day as their flavors blend and develop.
• These sablés also freeze very well. Place them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes:

• A good quality butter will go along way for this sablé cookie, since the buttery taste is so prevalent. Ideally opt for a European butter with a higher fat content.
• The key to getting a delicate sablé texture is to not over-beat your dough. At first, the mixture will seem very dry but as you keep gently beating, it will bring out the moisture and the dough will come together in a rough and thick ball. As soon as it comes together, stop mixing.
• After being shaped into a log, the dough needs to rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge to firm and become sliceable. Ideally, leave it in the fridge overnight, which also helps developing the flavors.
• I prefer to use roughly chopped dark chocolate. But chocolate chips work perfectly too.