I think many of us grew up in homes where there was a jar of bacon or chicken fat in the fridge, ready to be used whenever a dish needed a boost of fatty flavour. I now have a jar of duck fat in my refrigerator and I think it’s going to be rapidly and well-used. I’ve just made one thing with it so far, and it’s not what you’d expect.
Duck fat is the secret ingredient in the sablé-like cookies I made this afternoon. The cookies manage to be crisp and melt-in-your-mouth all at once, with salt playing against the caramelly sweetness and vanilla and cognac adding a little depth to the flavour, as well. The cookies are studded with currants, which are due for a resurgence in popularity, I’d say. They’re perfect in these cookies, tart, sweet and soaked in cognac.
I had a bit of fun with these on Instagram over the past couple of days, first posting the photo of the jar of duck fat, then posting the mise en place for the cookies as an extra hint. No one guessed, but I got some great suggestions for what to do with the leftovers. First, I’m going to catch up on the duck fat potatoes that everyone from Cook the Book Fridays has already made and raved about. Then, I’m going to try duck fat popcorn, which another commenter suggested. I looked for a recipe, and found a great one from one of our own, Trevor of Sis Boom Blog, along with some advice on how duck fat can improve your life (or at least your dinner parties).
I only baked half of the cookies today and froze the other half. I don’t expect this batch to last past tomorrow. Next time I’m in need of goodwill, I’ll bake the rest of them.
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One Wet Foot 
Love your post, Teresa!! Yep, always a jar of bacon fat around the house (makes great biscuits too). I think you will LOVE the potatoes. Trevor’s popcorn sounds interesting (though I’m into using coconut oil these days).
You cookies look wonderful! I love that you sent out teasers. I need to put the 2nd roll in the freezer. But even mom liked these! Very tasty!!
Thanks, Candy! I think I’m going to make them again at Christmastime – everyone in my family loved them. I’m looking forward to making the potatoes later this week, too. Yum!
Yes to duck fat potatoes. I don’t remember how we did them for the prior version, but I steam them until tender, smash them slightly and fry them up in duck fat (while pressing down with a spatula). Sooo good – it is an oft requested side dish in our house.
My dad always kept a coffee tin (remember when coffee came in tins?) in the fridge with bacon grease.
Your cookies look delicious
I love your method, Cher – sounds perfect! I remember coffee tins – my mother used to save the big ones and use them to store and organize all the little bits and bags of ingredients in the baking section of her pantry.
These were really good and a surprise flavor, but I would like to try them with a savory taste such as chopped olives, either green or even Kalamata. Tricia and I had so much fun on our road trip, the weather was gorgeous and every time I saw a flower I had to photo it, everything looked so perfect.
I think this would work well as a savoury cookie, too. I’m so glad you had a great trip – it looked like so much fun!
Yep, same here: bacon fat always available. And now I keep leaf lard in the freezer and bacon and duck fat in the fridge. 🙂 These cookies were a really neat departure, I think. It was fun to try something different and people’s ideas for savory ones also sound amazing! Love this post, Teresa, and what fun on Insta–that popcorn idea sounds like a real treat!
I think we have all expanded our pantries greatly since the beginning of French Fridays. If I had room in my freezer, I’d keep leaf lard on hand, too. The Insta game was fun – there aren’t many cooking questions left these days that can stump anyone! I like the savoury cookie idea, but the sweet ones were such a hit with my family that I think I’ll be making them at Christmastime.
I need to more new uses for the duck fat since I’ve just found out I have two tubs of them in the fridge. Your instagram setup is so much fun. This is a lovely post. I enjoyed reading it.
Two tubs! You are set for a while. 🙂 Thanks so much, Shirley!
The photos are beautiful! The cookies look fantastic!
I had all the ingredients, even the currants, I made them in rugelach recently and was excited then I caught a stomach bug and I put this recipe off for now, however your photos are making me second guess myself 🙂
Thanks so much! You have to try these soon. They’re really good and the texture is so different from butter cookies. They’d make a nice contrast on a plate with traditional sablés.
I need to try making these again – I was in a rush and found the dough hard to work with. I think a savoury version will be nice!
Duck fat is the best! I always make sure to save it after the holidays 🙂 these look terrific!