Sablé is a cookie from France that is made with shortbread. These French sand cookies comes from the western part of France from a town called Sablé-sur-Sarthe, in Sarthe that is by the river Sarthe.

The word sable means “sand” in French. In baking, butter, flour and sugar are rubbed together to create crumbles that resemble bread crumbs or according to the French, sand.

The earliest recipe of the cookie seems to have been mentioned in 1670 in a letter written by French aristocrat and letter writing extraordinaire (ess?), Marie de Rabutin-Chantal.

Variations of the this cookie can be made with almonds or zest of lemons and oranges.