Lunettes à la Confiture
Lunettes à la Confiture·(loo-net ah lah kohn-fee-toor)
Le Goûter: The Sacred French 4 PM Transition
Four p.m. in the Drôme, backpacks dumped in the hallway, powdered sugar on the counter, a jar of Bonne Maman preserves waiting to buy thirty minutes of peace. Adapted by Italian migrants who swapped traditional olive oil for local Drôme butter, they are named lunettes because the two holes in the top cookie look like eyes peering through eyeglasses. Move them to a wire cooling rack, allow the jam to soak into the buttery shortbread, dust the tops heavily, and let them eat standing up.
Before you start
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour2 1/2 cup
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- vanilla sugar1 tbsp
- baking powder1/2 tsp
- fine sea salt1/8 tsp
- unsalted butter11 tbsp
- egg1 large
- thick jam1/2 cup
- powdered sugar1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Whisk the dry ingredients and cut in the butter.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder, and salt. Toss in the cold butter cubes and quickly rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, damp sand—work fast so the butter doesn't melt from your hands.
- 02
Add the egg and form a cohesive ball.
Make a well in the sandy mixture, drop in the egg, and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork or knead it, or your tender shortbread will activate its gluten and turn into a tough cracker.
- 03
Wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
Flatten the dough into two thick disks and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. This rests the dough and firms up the butter, ensuring the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
- 04
Roll the first disk and cut the bottom cookies.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the first disk of dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2.5 to 3-inch round cutter, punch out as many circles as possible and place them on a prepared baking sheet.
- 05
Roll the second disk and cut the eyeglasses for the top.
Cut an equal number of circles from the second disk, then use a small piping tip or an apple corer to punch two small holes side-by-side in the center of each. Place them on the second baking sheet.
- 06
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cooked but completely pale.
Watch them like a hawk starting at the 9-minute mark. If the edges begin to turn golden brown, pull them immediately—a pale cookie ensures a soft, yielding bite that won't shatter against the jam.
- 07
Dust the tops with powdered sugar and assemble.
Shower the hole-punched top cookies generously with powdered sugar while they sit separately on a wire rack. Spread a heaping teaspoon of jam into the center of each bottom cookie, then gently press the sugared tops onto the jam.
Notes
The secret to pristine jam.
Always dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before placing them over the filling. If you dust the assembled cookie, the sugar dissolves into the jam and ruins its bright, jewel-like appearance.
Choose the right preserve.
Use a highly jellied, thick jam like Bonne Maman. A watery preserve will seep into the shortbread and turn a perfect cookie into a soggy, structural disaster.
From Cook French in America.