Vanilla Crescent Cookies | Vanillekipferl
Vanillekipferl are an essential part of any cookie plate during the Christmas season. These delicate German vanilla crescents will wow you with their delicious flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Whether you’re baking them as a gift or to enjoy with loved ones, they bring a touch of old-world charm to your Advent season. Plus, these homemade cookies are surprisingly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients!
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Why you’ll this recipe:
- authentic flavor
- easy to make with simple ingredients
- melt-in-your-mouth texture
- stunning on your cookie plate
- perfect for gifting
The ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for this Vanillekipferl recipe:
- Butter: I highly recommend you use European butter with its lower moisture content
- Sugar: Cane sugar is what I use
- Vanilla sugar: You can sometimes find little packets of vanilla sugar online but it’s so easy to make your own vanilla sugar
- Egg: Adding an egg keeps the dough from crumbling
- Flour: Regular AP flour is perfect
- Ground almonds: Next to the vanilla, almond meal is the key ingredient in this recipe (see below if you can’t find ground almonds)
- Powdered sugar: While I am not a big fan of anything overly sweet, these cookies definitely need a good white dusting
- Optional: Lemon: I find that a little bit of lemon juice and lemon zest adds a nice subtle acidity to the sweetness of these cookies
Useful tools and equipment
Given that my grandmother and great-grandmother were making these German vanilla crescent cookies back in the day, you certainly don’t need any special tools. However, I find these helpful:
- Kitchen scale: I will give you cup measurements but always recommend using a kitchen scale for more accurate measurements
- Handheld mixer: I recommend a hand mixer for making the cookie dough
- Food processor: This can be useful if you want to make your own almond flour (see next section)
- Plastic wrap: Wrapping the cookie dough in plastic keeps it from drying out
- Cookie sheet: You can typically arrange one entire batch of these crescent-shaped cookies on one half cookie sheet
- Parchment paper: I like to line my baking sheets with either a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Wire rack: This helps to let the cookies cool down
- Cookie tin: I always love keeping my Christmas cookies in a pretty tin
Substitutions and variations
- Vanilla sugar: If you don’t have vanilla sugar, you can substitute it with vanilla extract but know that adding more liquid will make these shortbread-like cookies a bit more chewy
- Flour: While I haven’t tried it myself, I am fairly certain that you could make these German cookies gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour
- Almonds: If you can’t find or don’t have almonds, you could also use other ground nuts such as ground hazelnuts or ground walnuts
Tips & Tricks
- You can make super quick homemade vanilla sugar by scraping the mark out of a vanilla bean and thoroughly mixing it with powdered sugar (the longer it sits, the better it gets!).
- This is how to make your own almond meal: Put raw whole almonds in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. After about 10 minutes, drain the water. The almond skin will now come off really easily. Allow the peeled almonds to dry completely. You can then grind them in a food processor into a fine meal.
How to serve
Do I need to tell you how to eat cookies? I don’t think so. However, most people love adding their Vanillekipferl cookies to their Christmas cookie plates. We love having them in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea or in the evening with a cup of steaming hot Glühwein (mulled wine).
Make ahead of time?
Yes, you can save some time by making a double batch. You can bake one batch right away and keep the rest of the dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to three days. Then you shape and bake these cookies according to the recipe.
How long do they last?
You can keep these traditional German Christmas cookies for up to four weeks in an airtight container in a cool place. I love using a pretty cookie tin with a Christmas theme printed on it.
Other recipes you might like
Delicious Cinnamon Star Cookies (Zimtsterne)
Authentic German Christmas Stollen
How to make this dish
1. Make the cookie dough
Add the room-temperature butter, sugar, and vanilla sugar to a medium bowl. Using a handheld mixer, mix on high until pale and creamy. Add the egg and mix again. Add the flour and almond meal and mix until a smooth dough forms. Lastly, add the lemon juice and lemon zest (optional) and quickly incorporate them.
2. Chill the cookie dough
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it into long pieces (about 1 inch or 3 cm thick). I like to cut mine into two or three pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic and transfer them to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Form the crescent cookies
Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator. Cut them into small equal pieces (½ inch or 1 cm thick). Add a little flour to your work surface and form each piece into a crescent shape. I like to make mine a bit thicker rather than too thin but that may just be a personal preference.
4. Bake the Vanillekipferl
Place the dough crescents on a prepared baking sheet (either use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat). Bake them in a preheated oven at 375˚F (190˚C) for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Make the vanilla dusting sugar
While the cookies are baking, prepare the vanilla dusting sugar: combine vanilla sugar and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
6. Finish the Vanillekipferl
When done, remove the vanilla crescents from the oven. Roll the hot cookies in the vanilla sugar mixture and let them cool down on a wire rack.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments!
Vanilla Crescent Cookies | Vanillekipferl
Ingredients
- 200 g butter
- 75 g sugar
- 20 g vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- 180 g AP flour
- 200 g almond meal
- 1 lemon, juice and zest, optional
- 20 g vanilla sugar
- 100 g powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add soft butter, sugar, and vanilla sugar to a bowl. With a handheld mixer, mix on high until creamy. Add the egg and mix again. Add the flour and almond meal and mix until a smooth dough forms. Lastly, add the lemon juice and lemon zest (optional) and quickly incorporate them.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it into long pieces (about 1 inch or 3 cm thick). Wrap each piece in plastic and transfer them to the refrigerator for 30 mins.
- Remove dough logs from the refrigerator. Cut them into small pieces (½ inch or 1 cm thick). Add a little flour to your work surface and form each piece into a crescent shape.
- Place the dough crescents on a prepared baking sheet. Bake them in a preheated oven at 375˚F (190˚C) for about 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare the vanilla dusting sugar: combine vanilla sugar and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- Remove the vanilla crescents from the oven. Roll the hot cookies in the vanilla sugar mixture and let them cool down on a wire rack.
Notes
- you can also use ground walnuts or hazelnuts
- in a pinch you could use vanilla extract but the Vanillekipferl will be a bit more chewy then
- I highly recommend using European-style butter with a lower moisture content for this recipe