La Sablésienne Apricot Chip Shortbread Cookies 100g

The pleasure starts at the scalloped edge: a crisp bite that gives way to a tender, buttery crumble. Apricot pieces bring little pockets of fruit to the biscuit, keeping each mouthful lively as the rich crumb melts away. It is an inviting combination for anyone who loves a proper butter biscuit and enjoys a fruity finish.

La Sablésienne makes these sablés with fresh butter from the Pays de la Loire, flour from Sarthe millers and free-range eggs. In this 1670 recipe, the eggs go into the dough, helping give the biscuit its gently melting texture. The butter carries the flavour; the apricot gives it a cheerful change of direction. There is plenty to enjoy before you even reach for your tea.

The dough is shaped and stamped, baked on metal plates, then the finished biscuits are gathered by hand. You get that familiar golden, scalloped French sablé with fruit tucked into its buttery crumb. Set a few on a small plate and take your time with them. The crisp edge, tender centre and apricot make a lovely sequence to return to between sips.

• Earl Grey and a proper pause: Pour Dammann Frères Earl Grey Yin Zhen and serve a few apricot sablés beside each cup. Bergamot’s citrus fragrance makes a lovely companion to the fruit, while the buttery crumb gives the tea something rich to follow. Bring out your favourite cups and make an afternoon of it.
• Vanilla ice cream and poached pears: Add a whole biscuit to a bowl of vanilla ice cream and warm poached pear. Crumble another over the top just before serving for a crisp finish against the soft fruit and cold cream. A small amount of preparation makes a dessert you will happily serve after Sunday lunch.
• A fruit-and-chocolate biscuit plate: Pair these with La Sablésienne All-Chocolate Shortbread. Move between buttery apricot and cocoa-rich shortbread as the conversation continues. A pot of tea, two flavours and a plate passed around the table can be all the dessert you need.

French biscuit lore gives this little sablé quite an entrance. In the story told in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the Marquise de Sablé brought the biscuits to the attention of the Grand Condé’s court in 1670. The king’s brother took a liking to them. You can understand the appeal of a small butter biscuit that asks so little ceremony of its eater.

La Sablésienne has made its home in the town since 1962, carrying that local biscuit tradition into its own kitchen. The 1670 collection keeps the marquise’s name at the table; apricot adds a fruity turn to the butter-rich sablé. Pour another cup and pass the plate. A biscuit with courtly connections settles very comfortably into an ordinary afternoon.

Store at room temperature. Keep the pack closed between servings and follow the best-before date printed on the packaging.