Bredele: Alsatian Christmas Cookies

Quick Summary: Bredele (also spelled bredle, bredela, or bredeles) are small Alsatian Christmas cookies from the Alsace region of France. This classic bredele recipe uses just four ingredients, such as butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, to make about 50 cut-out cookies you can shape and flavor many ways.

What are bredele?

Bredele (also spelled bredle, bredala, or bredeles) are traditional bite-sized Christmas biscuits from the French region of Alsace. The name comes from the Alsatian dialect, a form of German spoken near the French-German border, and loosely means "little breads."

They come in many shapes and flavors. The basic version, called butterbredle, is a plain butter biscuit. Other classics include anise-scented anisbredele, orange-and-cinnamon schwowebredle, diamond-shaped Leckerlis, and lemon shortbread spritzbredle.

Each Alsatian family bakes up to 10 to 12 varieties during the season, packs them in decorated tins, and shares them with friends. You will also find bredele at every Christmas market in Alsace, and in local bakeries around other holidays too.

Bredele have a long history. Food historians trace the first recipes to the 14th century, when the dough was cut with a knife into triangles, squares, and diamonds. The cookies grew far more popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, once cookie cutters arrived in France.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Only four ingredients: the basic dough (called butterbredle) needs just butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
• Makes a big batch: one recipe yields about 50 small cookies.
• Great edible gift: these cut-out cookies make a great homemade Christmas present.
• Make-ahead friendly: the dough chills well so that you can save time during the busy holidays.
• Fun with kids: shaping and cutting bredele is an easy baking project for little ones.
• Beginner-friendly: simple shapes and no decoration make them perfect for new bakers.

The best cookie cutters to make bredele

• Festive shapes: cut Christmas trees, pretzels, gingerbread men, snowmen, stars, and even a Kouglof cookie-cutter shape.
• Regional symbols: in Alsace, the most popular cutters are the Alsatian stork, the Alsatian couple, and the Bretzel, all symbols of the region.
• Go small: choose small or mini cutters to keep the tradition. I'm using a Christmas tree cutter puzzle by Lekue that cuts 19 cookies in one press (unfortunately, it is discontinued on Amazon).
• Patterned dough: engraved rolling pins are also popular for pressing designs into the dough before cutting.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Flour: This basic recipe calls for all-purpose flour.

• Butter: Use unsalted softened butter. Take the butter out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.

• Sugar: Use granulated or caster sugar.

• Eggs: The recipe calls for a whole large egg and egg yolk to glaze the biscuits.

• Icing sugar: Make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use powdered sugar. Sprinkling the biscuits with icing sugar is optional.

Equipment

You need only a few basic tools to make bredele cookies:

• Stand mixer
• Rolling pin
• Christmas cookie cutters
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Wire cooling rack

How to make bredele cookies

Step 1. To make the dough, place softened butter, sugar, whole egg, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer (photo 1) and mix (photo 2).

Step 2. Wrap the dough with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Step 3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to ⅕ inch (4 mm) thick and cut into desired shapes using Christmas cookie cutters (photo 3).

Step 4. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (photo 4).

Step 5. Brush each cookie with the beaten egg yolk and bake for 10 minutes (photo 5).

Step 6. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack, then sprinkle with icing (powdered) sugar (photo 6).

Expert tips

1. Chill the dough overnight if it works with your baking schedule.
2. Brush cookies with Royal icing and use Christmas sprinkles instead of icing sugar if you prefer.

Recipe variations

One bredele dough works for many flavors. Try these classic Alsatian variations:

• Butterbredele: the plain butter cookie base, made with only four ingredients.
• Anisbredele: scented with aniseed for a warm, licorice-like note.
• Schwowebredle: flavored with orange and cinnamon.
• Nut bredele: add ground almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans to the dough.
• Coconut or cocoa: fold in shredded coconut or cocoa powder for a new flavor.
• Citrus and spice: add vanilla, lemon zest, or cinnamon to the base batter.

When and how to serve bredele

Traditionally, bredele cookies are not eaten until Christmas Eve. Then they are usually served as a dessert or a snack with tea or coffee throughout the holidays.

Another perfect way to serve these cookies is to pair them with Alsatian wines such as Crémant d'Alsace, Muscat, and Gewurztraminer.

What time of the day to serve bredele? As per Bredele.fr, "Whether it is to start the day or to end it with a treat, the Bredele are always popular!"

Storing & freezing

In Alsace, bredele cookies baked in November are stored in metal tin boxes to keep them fresh until Christmas.

Different types of cookies are kept in their own tin box to eliminate the "moisture exchange" between cookies.  

To freeze bredele, place the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the raw dough, then thaw it in the fridge before rolling and cutting.

How to pack bredele as a gift

Traditionally, Alsatians pack bredele in rectangular Christmas gift boxes or round decorative tins. You can also use Christmas cellophane bags or cardboard Christmas cookie boxes (check out my Christmas cookie box for an idea) to pack your bredele cookies, but store cookies in metal tins until you pack them as gifts.

Recipe FAQ

What are bredele?
Bredele are small Alsatian Christmas cookies from the Alsace region of France, traditionally cut into many shapes and flavored in different ways.

How do you spell bredele?
You will see several spellings, including bredele, bredle, bredela, bredeles, and bredala. They all refer to the same Alsatian Christmas cookies.

How do you pronounce bredele?
It is pronounced roughly "BREH-duh-luh," an Alsatian dialect word for little breads or cookies.

What is the most basic bredele?
The simplest version is butterbredle, a plain butter cookie made with just butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.

How long do bredele keep?
Stored in an airtight tin at room temperature, bredele stay fresh for several weeks, which is why they are often baked in November for Christmas.

Can you freeze bredele?
Yes. Freeze the baked cookies or the raw dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How many calories are in bredele?
Each cookie has about 47 calories. See the recipe card for full nutrition details.

Love Christmas cookies? Try these next!

• Gingerbread Christmas ornaments
• Zimtsterne (German cinnamon star cookies)
• French vanilla cookies
• Mini gingerbread men cookies
• Or browse all the Christmas recipes

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.