Almond Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies (Alsatian Schwowebredele)
Known as Alsatian Schwowebredele, these Almond Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies belong to the long list of typical “bredele” cookies made over the holidays in Alsace, Eastern France. Made with ground almonds, a pinch of cinnamon and a generous amount of butter, these cut-outs are easy to make, deliciously sandy and taste just subtly spiced and nutty. A must-do recipe for your holiday cookie box! The Tradition of Christmas Cookies in Alsace Christmas cookies, also known as “bredele”, are a huge part of Christmas celebrations in the Eastern French region of Alsace.…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 12 min
- Yield
- 75 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (150g) ground almonds
- 1 tbsp (7.5g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tbsp (15ml) milk
Instructions
- 1
Step 1 - In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, ground almonds, ground cinnamon, salt and sugar. Add the butter, cut in rough chunks and mix with your fingers until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the eggs and mix again until just combined and the dough comes together into a rough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- 2
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle. Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- 3
Step 2 - Take the chilled dough out of the fridge, unwrap and transfer onto a floured working surface. At this point, I like to divide the dough in two before rolling it out. Roll the dough out until it is ½-inch thick (1.27cm) and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
- 4
Transfer the cookies onto the paper-lined baking sheets. If the dough is a little sticky, you may need a spatula to delicately unpeel the cookies from the working surface.
- 5
Step 3 - In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the milk and brush the top of the cookies with this egg wash.
- 6
Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies turn lightly golden. Let the cookies cool for 1 minute on the baking sheets and then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- 7
When the cookies are completely cooled to room temperature, store in a tin box.