La Sablésienne Lemon Chip Shortbread Cookies 100g

Lemon and butter have always kept good company, and this small sablé shows why. La Sablésienne starts with the familiar 1670 dough of wheat flour, fresh butter, sugar and eggs, then adds lemon pieces and natural lemon flavouring. The biscuit is round, scalloped and crisp at the edge, with a short, tender crumb inside. The citrus brings brightness rather than turning it into a sharp sweet; it cuts across the butter and leaves the finish feeling clean. The maker's 1670 recipe has more butter and egg than its other sablés, with the egg mixed into the dough. That gives this 100 g sleeve the same classic structure as the plain version, while the lemon makes it feel a touch more lively. You do not need icing or a filling to understand the flavour. Put one beside a cup of tea, then try another on its own and notice how the lemon becomes more obvious. The biscuits also suit a light dessert where a little crisp texture matters more than a large slice of cake. A pleasantly sunny answer to “just one biscuit?”

• Citrus beside citrus: Brew Dammann Frères Earl Grey Yin Zhen Tea Bags. Its bergamot is a different citrus note from the biscuit's lemon, so the pairing feels fragrant rather than repetitive. Serve the tea separately and let the biscuits keep their crisp edge.
• A simple bowl of fruit: Add a biscuit or two beside fresh berries or sliced peaches. The butter gives the fruit a pastry-like companion without turning the plate into a heavy dessert. Crumble a little over plain yogurt only when ready to eat, to keep the pieces crisp.
• After lunch: Put a few sablés on a small plate with black tea or coffee. Their bright finish works especially well when lunch was rich and nobody wants a full dessert. The Earl Grey above is sold separately; the biscuits are perfectly happy without a drink, too.

The 1670 on La Sablésienne's pack points to a local biscuit story: the Marquise de Sablé is said to have introduced little rounds at the court of the Grand Condé that year. The modern biscuiterie was founded in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in 1962. This distinction leaves plenty of room for new flavours in a familiar format. The maker lists lemon among its fruit-piece variations on the butter-rich 1670 recipe, alongside other fruit and caramel versions. In the lemon sleeve, the old shape and texture remain; only the aroma takes a brighter route. It is an appealing bit of continuity. A town keeps its signature biscuit, while a fruit flavour makes it feel right for a different day, season or table. The result still belongs beside a teapot, although it is also quite capable of finishing lunch.

Ingredients and allergens: Wheat flour, butter (milk), sugar, lemon pieces, eggs, salt, natural lemon flavouring, corn starch. Made in a workshop that also uses sesame, soy and tree nuts.

Store in a cool, dry place.