Vanillekipferl (Almond Crescent Cookies)
Vanillekipferl are small almond biscuits shaped like a crescent moon. They are particularly popular in Austria and Germany, where they are part of the culinary delights of Christmas biscuits. In most Austrian homes, baking biscuits is an essential part of Christmas preparation, a family activity to be enjoyed on wintry days when it is snowing outside. Children love to knead dough and cut out biscuits. They enjoy creating the distinctive shape of Vanillekipferl, which is formed by rolling the dou
- Prep
- 18 min
- Cook
- 41 min
- Total
- 59 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Procedure
Cut the cold butter into slices and mix it with the flour.
Procedure
Add icing sugar, salt, vanilla sugar, ground almonds, and egg to the mixture.
Procedure
Rinse hands in cold water, and knead the dough on a pastry board. Let the dough rest for half an hour.
Procedure
Grease a baking tray, or alternatively use a sheet of baking paper to prevent the kipferl from sticking.
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4 ).
Procedure
Form the dough to a cylinder with a diameter of approximately 5 cm, and cut off 0.5 cm thick slices. Roll them between your flat palms to form a sausage shape that is slightly tapered.
Procedure
Lay them in crescent shape on the baking tray, and bake them for 8–10 minutes until they are a light golden brown.
Procedure
Immediately after baking, dip the Kipferl into a mixture of icing sugar and vanilla sugar. Try some—they are delicious while still warm!
Procedure
Leave the rest out overnight, and then store them in an airtight tin.
Notes, tips, and variations
Vanilla sugar can be bought in many supermarkets. Alternatively, it can be made by putting a vanilla-pod and some sugar in an airtight jar for a week or two.
Photo: sunnyday72 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 11 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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