Walnut Sables

Cookie dough:
1/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
10 tablespoons (11/4 sticks) unsalted butter, such as Land OLakes, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3/4 cups chopped walnuts

Make the cookies:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and ginger until blended.

2. In a 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds or until creamy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and continue beating for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is light in texture and color. Scrape down the inside of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in the nuts.

3. Remove the bowl and paddle attachment from the mixer stand. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture, making sure it is completely incorporated.

4. Place a piece of wax paper on a work surface and scrape the dough onto the paper. Shape the dough into a 10-inch long cylinder and wrap in the wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until very firm. (The dough may be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one month. Defrost the frozen dough in the refrigerator.)

5. Position one rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third and preheat to 325°F.

6. Cut the chilled dough into slices between 1/4-inch and 1/3-inch thick. As they are cut, transfer the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets. After every couple of slices, rotate the dough slightly to preserve the circular shape of the cookies; the cylinder tends to flatten if kept in one position for too long.

7. Bake the cookies for about 18 to 20 minutes or until the the cookies are set and lightly colored. Switch the positions of the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time for even baking.

8. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper, for up to 2 days.)

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