Alsace Bredele – Chequered Biscuits for Christmas

In the east of France, Alsace and Lorraine, we have a custom of baking and giving away “bredele” – small biscuits. Most people will start making them towards the end of November and continue until close to Christmas. One of my cousins has to make them throughout November and December as her kids eat most of them as soon as they are baked!
Over the years, I have made lots of different ones and I normally make around 25 different types. They are kept in biscuits tins (every type separately from the others – they keep better this way).

Close to Christmas, I pack the biscuits in cellophane bags and give them to friends and neighbours.

I am making these as per my middle grandson’s request. They are his favourites.

Ingredients

300g butter (if using salted, do not add the salt)
150g icing sugar
pinch of salt
400g plain flour
30g cacao powder
1 egg white

Method

Beat the softened butter with the icing sugar and salt until pale and creamy.
Knead the flour and divide the dough in half.
Knead the cacao into one portion.

Wrap both portions in foil or cling film and leave for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Divide each piece into 4 portions.
Roll out each colour into long thin rolls.

Arrange these into a chequerboard design, brushing and sealing with a little beaten egg white (using 4 of one colour and 5 of the other – do the opposite for the next batch) – You can also place one colour on top of the other and roll.

Wrap each long roll into cling film and put in the fridge to chill for about 1h.

Pre-heat the oven at 190C.

Cut the dough into 5mm thick slices, place on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the biscuits with a palette knife and cool on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight biscuit tin – they should keep for about a month.

Recipe By: Brigitte Kershaw

You may also want to read this:

Alsace Bredele – Printen Cookies for Christmas

Anne’s Shortbread Biscuit Recipe

Chocolate Meringue Recipe