Vanillekipferl are the most delicious cookies to have around Christmas time. These soft almond, buttery biscuits just melt in your mouth. Seriously irresistible!
Vanillekipferl are the most delicious cookies to have around Christmas time. These soft almond, buttery biscuits just melt in your mouth. Seriously irresistible!
When we were first introduced to these German cookies, I honestly wasn’t too sure why I had never had them before. Thank you to my husbands Oma (German for Grandma) for letting me in on these small delicious Christmas treats. They are now a must in our household during the festive season!
These small crescent shaped cookies are also quite simple to prepare. You just need to be extra careful when rolling them in the delicious vanilla sugar- I’ve broken my fair share of cookies over the years so don’t stress if this does happen. Plus the smaller pieces somehow taste even yummier. Just allow them to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to the vanilla sugar to help prevent them from breaking.
Ingredients needed
You will just need some simple ingredients to bake Vanillekipferl.
- Plain Flour: a simple wheat flour works perfectly here. You may want to give Spelt a try, we have found no difference in flavour.
- Butter: we have also used margarine (for those with dairy intolerances) and they worked out perfectly.
- Ground Almonds: you can easily buy these in most stores. If not, use a blender to create a flour type texture.
- Sugar: Plain, white flour is needed in this recipe. We haven’t tried any other sugar alternatives. If you have any success using an alternative, let us know in the comments below.
- Vanilla Sugar: a very typical European ingredient that can be found in most stores. However, in many countries this ingredient can be rather difficult to find or extremely expensive. You can easily replace it with 1 tsp of vanilla extract or 2 tsp of fresh vanilla bean paste.
- Icing Sugar: a simple icing sugar works perfectly for this recipe.
Tips & Tricks to make Vanillekipferl
- Don’t use egg: not using egg (or baking powder) may seem a little bit strange especially for a cookie recipe. But trust us, not using egg will allow for the delicious buttery, mouth watering texture that vanillekipfel are so famous for.
- Keep the dough cold: try to keep the dough cold while rolling out the small crescents. We usually just remove 1/4 of the dough from the fridge and roll it before taking out anymore. Shaping the crescents for the first few times make some time but that’s the best thing about homemade cookies, they all look that slight bit different.
- Size: Make sure all of the cookies are around the same size so that they bake at the same time.
- Alternative to rolling cookies in sugar mixture: you may start to get frustrated with how many cookies that break while trying to roll them in the icing sugar mixture (don’t worry, we totally get the frustration as well). If you would like, you can sprinkle the icing sugar onto the cookies. Now this may not result in the layer of sugar on the cookies to be a little bit thinner but it may be better than having a container full of broken cookies. Alternatively, just wait a few more minutes for the cookies to cool down and then start dipping them. Just make sure they are not completely cool as they need to be warm to make the sugar stick.
- Storing: now if these cookies don’t all get eaten at once by your family, you can easily keep them in an air tight container or biscuit tin. They generally stay good for 1-2 weeks. We would highly recommend making a large batch so they last longer than 1 day.
If you enjoyed this recipe or would love to create an inviting Christmas Cookie platter, why not try some Linzer cookies or Chocolate Crinkle biscuits. They are also irresistible!
If you enjoyed these delicious, buttery, almond delicacies please let me know how you liked them! Leave a comment below and share a photo on instagram with the hashtag #nofusseating. I absolutely love seeing all of your creations.
Vanillekipferl (German Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
Course: Baking, Recipes
Servings
20
Prep time
5
minutesCooking time
12
minutesCalories
205
kcalTotal time
5
minutesIngredients
250 g 250 Plain Flour
210 g 210 Butter softened
100 g 100 Ground Almonds
80 g 80 White Sugar
100 g 100 Vanilla Sugar*
100 g 100 Icing Sugar
Directions
- Place flour, butter, ground almonds, white sugar and ___ vanilla sugar into a large bowl. Mix until well combined and a dough has formed (this may be easier by using your hands rather than a mixing spoon).
- Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Pop in the refrigerator for a minimum 30 minutes or until firm.
- Once ready, preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius and prepare 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- Take dough from bowl and cut into small pieces about 3cm big. Roll each piece in your hand to create a long snake like shape. Then form into a half moon shape (to create a crescent form). Place onto the baking tray, try not to put them too close to each other as they will increase in size.
- Place into oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Best way to work out if they are ready is when they start to brown on the tips, it is time for them to come out. The cookies will be soft while warm and will harden as they cool.
- While the cookies are baking, prepare the sugar coating. Place the icing sugar and vanilla sugar onto a large plate.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Then lay each cookie onto the plate with the sugar coating. Carefully, turn the cookies until all sides are covered with sugar. Be very careful here, the cookies are still very delicate and break very easily. If you find they are breaking too easily, wait for the cookies to cool for a further 1-2 minutes. Just don't wait until they are completely cooled as the sugar will no longer stick to them.
- Place onto a baking tray and allow to cool before serving or storing in an air tight container. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vanilla Sugar: in many countries this ingredient can be rather difficult to find or extremely expensive. You can easily replace it with 1 tsp of vanilla extract or 2 tsp of fresh vanilla bean paste (removed from a vanilla pod).
- Storage: store in an air tight container for 1-2 weeks (that is if they last that long).
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 205kcal
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g
- Cholesterol: 23mg
- Sodium: 93mg
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 14g
- Protein: 2g
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