Areias de Cascais

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Wooden spoon or electric mixer
• •Shallow bowl for sugar coating
• •Parchment-lined baking sheets
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Cream the butter

   In a large bowl, beat the soft butter with the granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes by hand or 2 minutes with a mixer. The butter should look almost white, airy and light. Add the salt and vanilla (or lemon zest) and beat until combined. This is your foundation. Don't rush it.

   The butter must be properly soft, not melted. Press it with your finger. It should give easily but still hold its shape. Too cold and the dough won't come together. Too warm and you'll lose that sandy texture.
2. 2

   Add the flour

   Add the flour all at once and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until just combined. The dough will look crumbly at first, then come together into a soft, slightly sandy mass. Stop the moment it holds together. Overworking makes the cookies tough instead of tender.

3. 3

   Shape the cookies

   Pour the coarse sugar into a shallow bowl. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut and roll them between your palms into balls. Drop each ball into the sugar and roll to coat completely, pressing gently so the crystals stick. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 3cm apart. They spread slightly but not much.

   The sugar coating is everything. It's what makes these areias, sands. Be generous. The crystals should sparkle like the beaches of Cascais.
4. 4

   Chill the dough

   Refrigerate the shaped cookies for at least 15 minutes. This helps them hold their round shape in the oven and keeps that sugar crust intact. While they chill, preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F).

5. 5

   Bake until just golden

   Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops are still pale with just a hint of color at the edges. The cookies will feel soft when you touch them. This is correct. They firm up as they cool. Remove from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

6. 6

   Cool completely

   Let the cookies cool completely before eating. I know. It's difficult. But the texture transforms as they rest. They become sandy, crumbly, melting on your tongue the way a proper areia should. Store in a tin and they'll keep for a week. They won't last that long.

Chef Tips

• •The butter quality matters enormously here. Use the best you can find. European-style butter with higher fat content makes these even more tender and rich.
• •Coarse sugar is traditional, but if you can't find it, crush regular sugar crystals lightly with a rolling pin. You want texture, not powder. The sparkle is part of the experience.
• •Some families add a touch of cinnamon to the dough. Some use lemon zest, some use vanilla, some use nothing at all. Dona Fernanda used the zest of a Setúbal lemon. I use vanilla because that's what I grew up with. Make them your own.
• •These cookies are perfect for mailing. They travel well in a tin, packed between layers of parchment. My mother sends them to my cousins in France every Christmas.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it soften at room temperature for 15 minutes before shaping.
• •Shaped, sugar-coated cookies can be frozen on the baking sheet, then transferred to a bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
• •Baked cookies keep beautifully in an airtight tin for up to 10 days. They actually improve after a day or two as the flavors meld.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 22g)