This is a type of crust that works perfectly for any sweet pie. It's a key recipe to have under your belt. I learned to make Masa Sablée while working at Vane's kitchen, a baker friend of my mom's. She used Osvaldo Gross's recipe.
One day in 2018, my friend Nico Silva wrote down this Masa Sablée recipe for my collection. I now smile every time I pick up that piece of paper.
Late in 2025, I made this recipe for chocolate-flavored masa sablée. It's excellent.
150 grams room temperature unsalted butter
100 grams powdered sugar (if you don't have it, granulated white sugar works too)
1 egg
250 grams all-purpose flour
A pinch of salt
A splash of vanilla extract or the zest of a lemon.
Cream the butter and the sugar.
Add the egg and combine well. Add your flavoring of choice.
Gently add the flour and salt to the mixture, trying to handle the dough as minimally as possible.
Seal the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Bake it, or you can freeze it!