Baking cookies for Christmas is a longstanding tradition in the Alsace region, with many different variations all captured under the title bredele. Madame Geisert, who has been baking cookies for longer than she can remember, and now bakes them with her grandchildren, gave me a special lesson in fingerle. Traditionally, they are simply rolled in plain sugar to give them a crystal crust, but I like to roll mine in flavored sugars to give them an extra twist.
Ingredients
- ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (125 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (125 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp lemon zest
How to Make It
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter, ¾ cup (125 g) of the sugar, and the vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and use a pastry cutter or a fork to chop up the mixture until it is crumbly. Then, using your hands, bring it together to form a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Pour one-third of the remaining sugar onto a plate. Mix another third of the sugar with the cinnamon and spread on another plate. Repeat with the lemon zest and remaining sugar.
- Split the dough into three equal parts. Take one piece and roll it between your palms or on a work surface to make a long sausage, about ½ inch thick. Cut the sausage into small finger lengths. Roll and lightly press each piece into one of the sugars. Repeat for the remaining pieces of dough, rolling in one of the different sugars, and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes; the cookies should remain pale. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.