The Schwowebredele are part of the Bredele (or Bredela / Bredle / Bredala, depending on the area) — the traditional Christmas cookies of Alsace (a border region between France and Germany), these with almonds.
“Schwowe” means “Swabian” — it refers to the “Swabian/German” origin attributed to this variant, although today they are fully part of the Alsatian tradition.
“Bredele“ or “Bredala” means “small cookies” in Alsatian dialect.
“Bredele” is the generic term for all Alsatian Christmas cookies. Each family has its variety, and the ingredients can change.
“Schwowebredele” is thus one of the Bredele variants — the one with almonds, cinnamon, and butter, with the typical shortcrust pastry.
The classic versions include butter, almonds (or almond flour), flour, cinnamon, sometimes citrus zest or spices, and egg for glazing.
My low sugar version includes erythritol instead of sugar, and gluten-free with a mix of rice flour and buckwheat flour, instead of all-purpose flour.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 40Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 cup erythritol
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 egg
- as needed ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp milk
- 6 oz butter
- 2 egg yolks
Tools
- 1 Cookie cutters Christmas
Steps
1. In a bowl, work the softened butter with erythritol until you get a smooth cream.
2. Add the egg and mix well.
3. In another bowl, combine flour + almond flour + cinnamon (and zest if using).
4. Combine the dry ingredients with the butter mixture, working until the dough is homogeneous, compact, and not sticky. Add the milk.
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
8. Cut out with Christmas shapes (stars, hearts, trees, moons, etc.).
9. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with the egg yolks.
10. Bake for 15 minutes (or until lightly browned on the edges).
11. Let cool on a wire rack. Once cool, store in tin boxes: this way, they stay crisp for weeks, as tradition dictates.
Erythritol variant
You can also purchase erythritol on the website www.erbotech.it
with my 15% Discount Code: VG15
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the calorie content of each cookie and the difference compared to the traditional version with sugar?
Here is an approximate estimate of the calorie content per cookie (out of 40 total cookies), considering the ingredients you indicated.
Erythritol version (low sugar):
Main ingredients and calories:
• 175 g rice flour ≈ 640 kcal
• 175 g buckwheat flour ≈ 610 kcal
• 175 g butter ≈ 1310 kcal
• 100 g almond flour ≈ 570 kcal
• 1 whole egg ≈ 70 kcal
• 2 yolks for brushing ≈ 100 kcal
• Erythritol: 0 kcal (not absorbed)
Total ≈ 3,300 kcal / 40 cookies ≈ 83 kcal per cookie
Traditional sugar version (instead of erythritol):
• 125 g sugar ≈ 500 kcal (added to the total above)
Total ≈ 3,800 kcal / 40 cookies ≈ 95 kcal per cookie
Comparison:
• Without sugar (erythritol): ≈ 83 kcal/cookie
• With sugar: ≈ 95 kcal/cookie
So you save about 12 kcal per cookie, but the glycemic index and insulin response are much lower in the erythritol version, making them better for a low FODMAP diet or for those trying to avoid sugars.
