Honey-Vanilla Sablé Cookie Dough

Step 1

Whisk flour, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Place sugar in a large bowl and scrape in vanilla seeds; save pods for another use. Massage mixture with your fingers until sugar looks like wet sand. Add butter and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolk and honey; beat to combine. Reduce speed to low; add dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition. Knead dough a couple of times to incorporate any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl.

Step 2

Divide dough in half and pat into two 9”-long logs. Wrap each log in parchment paper, then wrap tightly in plastic. Roll each log across work surface to make as round and regular as possible, then chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350°F. Gently scatter half of sanding sugar over a small portion of work surface. Unwrap 1 log of dough and roll log in sugar, applying a bit of pressure to help it stick, until evenly coated. Slice dough into 1/4"–1/2"-thick rounds, rolling log every few slices to avoid creating a flat surface. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2" apart, and chill. Scatter remaining sanding sugar on surface and repeat with remaining log of dough.

Step 4

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through, until cookies are golden around the edges but still pale in the center, 13–18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Step 5

Dough can be made 1 month ahead; freeze instead of chilling. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using. Cookies can be baked 3 days ahead; store airtight at room temperature.