Toasted Almond Sable Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup / 4.5 oz / 130 g unbleached all-purpose flour
• Scant 1 cup / 4 oz / 115g whole wheat flour
• 1/2 pound salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup / 1 oz / 30 g lightly toasted sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup / 2.5 oz / currants
• Large grain sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Whisk the all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour in a medium bowl, then set it aside. In another medium bowl, or using an electric mixer bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, salt, and vanilla until the mixture looks smooth and creamy, about a minute. Fold in the almonds. Add the flours and stir only until the dough is barely mixed. Scatter in the currants and mix just until they are worked through. Gather the dough into a ball; if it seems a little shaggy, turn it onto the counter and knead it 1 or 2 times, just until smooth. Press it into a flat round, seal it well in plastic, and chill it, either for a couple hours or overnight.
2. About 15 minutes before cutting the cookies, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds, heat the oven to 350F / 180C, and cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness, then cut out whatever shapes you like. After the first pass, gather the scraps and roll them again for more cookies. If the dough softens too much, return it to the refrigerator for a bit. Set the cookies at least 1 inch apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets, dust each one with a pinch of large-grain sugar, and slide the sheets into the freezer for a final 10 minutes.
4. Bake the cookies until the rims turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes, keeping a close eye on their color. The shade matters more than the clock. At about 9 minutes, swap the baking sheets from front to back. Take them out of the oven, wait 1 or 2 minutes, and move the cookies to a rack so they can cool completely.
5. For storage, tuck any extras into big jars; they stay in good shape for days. This recipe makes dozens of tiny cookies, with the final count depending on your cookie cutter size.