Butter Sablés from Alsace (Butterbredele)

These Butter sablés from the Alsace region, known as “butterbredele”, are the most common cut-out cookies made and enjoyed over the Holidays in France. They are buttery, subtly flavored with lemon zest and satisfyingly crisp yet sandy.

They are also simple to make – which make them a great baking project for the whole family. They are perfect for gifting, hanging on trees or just to be devoured on the spot. Cooking Notes:

• Make sure you use unsalted room temperature butter.
• These Butter Sablés are flavored with lemon zest, which is optional. As another option, you can also use orange zest or ½ tsp of freshly grated cinnamon.
• Do not overmix the dough, stop when the ingredients are just combined. The less you mix the dough, the more delicate in texture the sablés will be. On the opposite, the more you mix, the tougher the sablés will be.
• These Butter Sablés shouldn’t bake too golden in color, they must remain rather pale with a slight yellow hue from the egg wash. In comparison, they are much paler than the Breton Salted Butter Sablés.
• I used a star-shaped cooking cutter here, but any shape works. You can use a toothpick or a straw to poke out holes at the top of each cookie if you wish to hang them on a Christmas tree.

I hope you’ll love this Butter Sablés from Alsace (Butterbredele) recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench. This post may contain affiliate links.