Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Almond Crescent Cookies)

What Are Vanillekipferln?

Vanillekipferln are crescent-shaped cookies similar to shortbread cookies with the addition of ground nuts, vanilla and a generous dusting of powdered sugar. They are popular throughout much of Europe (especially at Christmas time) but originate from Austria.

Reasons To Love These Cookies

What’s not to love! This Vanillekipferl recipe is…

• Perfect to make ahead! They taste great for a few weeks after baking and can also be frozen.
• Easy to make and the dough is mixed in one bowl so there are also less dishes – YAY!
• A delicious addition to a Christmas cookie platter and great for gifting too!
• Cozy and festive treat especially when served with a cup of Glühwein, Kinderpunsch or Orange Spice Mulled Tea.
• A family favorite! Delicate, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness – SO GOOD!

Ingredients You’ll Need

There are so many slight variations out there for Vanillekipferl (even within my own family) and I tried them all. Egg yolks vs no egg yolks, cold butter vs softened butter, and so on! After all the testing, the conclusion was that they are all delicious with slight differences in texture.

I left the egg yolks as an optional ingredient (see below) and discovered that there is absolutely no need to wait for butter to soften since the cookies using the cold butter had the better texture.

Let’s get started! To make this vanillekipferl recipe, you will need…

• Flour: Unbleached all purpose flour
• Powdered Sugar: This is used both in the dough and to dust the tops after baking. Also called icing sugar or confectioners sugar.
• Butter: Use cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes.
• Blanched Almond Meal/Flour: I use store bought ground blanched almonds. The package should say “extra-fine” or “super-fine” almond meal or almond flour from whole skinless, blanched almonds. You can also make your own by grinding up some blanched almonds until fine.
• Vanilla Sugar: Vanilla sugar is a common baking ingredient in Europe and comes in little packets. You can buy the German vanilla sugar packets or use homemade. To make your own, place 1 cup of sugar and the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean in a food processor or blender. Pulse until the seeds are broken up and blended into the sugar.
• Salt: Just a pinch!
• Egg Yolks (optional): The addition of 2 egg yolks is optional depending on the texture you prefer. The Vanillekipferln without egg yolks have a more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture while those including the egg yolks have a slightly more soft cookie like texture. Some people say that the egg yolks also make the dough easier to work with but I didn’t notice too much of a difference.

How To Make Vanillekipferl

Let’s start baking!

STEP 1: Mix the dough

Place all the cookie dough ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together, starting at the lowest speed first (unless you enjoy flour all over your kitchen!) and gradually increasing to a medium speed until a smooth dough forms. At first, it will look like a dry crumbly mixture with no hope of becoming a dough but just wait and watch as it magically comes together while it continues to mix. (Note: You can also knead the dough by hand in a large bowl or use a hand mixer.)

STEP 2: Chill the dough

Shape the dough into a disc or log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for an hour.

STEP 3: Time to shape!

Before we start shaping the dough, preheat the oven to 350F / 180C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form tablespoon size scoops of the dough into crescent shapes and place onto the lined baking sheets, leaving some space between them (about 1 inch apart).

STEP 4: Bake

Bake one sheet at a time for 10-15 minutes or until the ends just start to turn lightly golden. The cookies should still be fairly pale. Place the second sheet in the fridge until you can bake it.

STEP 5: Dust with sugar

Combine powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. Let the cookies sit for a minute and then sift half of the sugar mixture over the hot Vanillekipferln using a small fine mesh sieve or a sifter. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Once cooled completely, give them a second dusting with the remaining sugar.

How To Shape Vanillekipferl

Everybody has their own technique but this is how I go about creating the crescent shapes. First, roll tablespoon size pieces of the dough into a ball. Then form into a small log with slightly tapered ends but not pointy. Place onto the lined baking sheet and curve the ends in so that it forms a crescent shape.

Possible Variations

• Switch the nuts: You could also use ground walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans instead of almonds.
• Drizzle with chocolate: Drizzle some melted chocolate over the top.
• Add extra flavors: You could add in some spices like cinnamon or ground cardamom. Or a touch of almond extract to enhance the almond flavor.

Tips For Success

Here are 3 tips to help you achieve the perfect Vanillekipferln.

• Don’t bake them too long! They should not get brown. Only the edges should be lightly golden but the cookie should mostly be pale in color.
• Use a kitchen scale! This dough will not come together properly if there is too much flour or ground almonds in the mix. Using a kitchen scale guarantees accuracy and consistent results vs. the huge variation you can get filling measuring cups. If you are using the cup measurements, use the spoon and level method (but I highly recommend using a scale!).
• Chill the dough! Chilled dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and maintains the shape. The dough is chilled for an hour after mixing it together but you can also chill the formed cookies for 20-30 minutes in the fridge prior to baking. My first sheet usually just goes straight into the oven but I always place my second sheet of cookies in the fridge until they get their turn to be baked.

A Few Questions Answered

More Cookie Recipes

Here are a few more delicious German cookies to try!

• Kokosmakronen (German Coconut Macaroons)
• German Cookie Recipes You Need To Try

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