Vanillekipferl | Vanilla German Cookies
Vanillekipferl are an essential part of any dessert platter or cookie tin during the Christmas season. These delicate German cookies 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, these classic German cookies will bring a touch of old-world charm to your Advent season.
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Why my Vanillekipferl recipe is a favorite
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 homemade vanilla sugar is incredibly easy to make.
- Egg: Adding an egg keeps the dough from crumbling
- Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect- either unbleached or bleached.
- 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 festive cookies definitely need a heavy 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
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 can make these German cookies gluten-free by using any 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Almonds: If you can’t find or don’t have almonds, you can substitute them with ground hazelnuts or ground walnuts.
Useful cookie-making tools and supplies
It’s a given that my grandmother and great-grandmother made these German cookies without fancy appliances and special tools back in the day. So, you certainly don’t need anything special. However, I find these helpful:
- Kitchen scale: I will give you cup measurements, but I always recommend using a kitchen scale for more accurate measurements
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer: The cookie dough is a bit heavy. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer definitely makes it easier to incorporate the ingredients.
- Food processor: This can be useful if you want to make your own almond flour.
- 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 like to keep holiday treats like this in a pretty cookie tin
Tips and 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 make Vanillekipferl
- Make the cookie dough. Start by creaming the butter and sugars together, then mix in the egg. Lastly, blend in the dry ingredients.
- Roll and chill the dough. Lightly flour your work surface, then portion the dough into two or three pieces. It’s important that the dough be cold when forming the Vanillekipferl, so let it chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Form the crescents. One at a time, remove a dough log from the refrigerator and cut it into small, equal pieces, about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. I like to make mine a bit thicker rather than too thin but that may just be a personal preference. Don’t worry if your crescents aren’t perfectly shaped – the sugar coating will make them look festive anyway!
- Bake the Vanillekipferl. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent the cookies from sticking.
- Make the dusting sugar. While the cookies are baking, prepare the vanilla dusting sugar: combine vanilla sugar and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- Dust the warm cookies with sugar. Remove the vanilla crescents from the oven. While they are still hot, roll each one in the vanilla sugar mixture, then let them cool down on a wire rack.
Vanillekipferl recipe FAQs
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Yes, you can save some time by making a double batch. You can bake one batch right away and refrigerate the rest of the unbaked dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to three days. When you’re ready, shape and bake the dough according to the recipe.
Do Vanillekipferl freeze well?
The powdered sugar coating on the cookies doesn’t freeze well. However, the raw cookie dough will keep for 2-3 months in the freezer if it is wrapped well in a freezer-safe container.
How long do they last?
If kept in an airtight container in a cool and dry place, these German cookies will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Vanillekipferl | German Vanilla Cookies
Vanillekipferl are an essential part of any dessert platter during the Christmas season. These delicate German cookies will wow you with their delicious flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Servings: 40 cookies
Calories: 103kcal
Cost: $7
Ingredients
- 200 g butter
- 75 g sugar
- 20 g vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g almond meal
- 1 lemon juiced and zested (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
- If desired, you can also include finely ground walnuts or hazelnuts to the dough.
- In a pinch, you could use vanilla extract instead of vanilla sugar, but the Vanillekipferl will be a bit more chewy.
- I highly recommend using European-style butter for this German cookie recipe. Containing less water than American-made butter, European butter is creamier and has a richer flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @ourgabledhome or tag #ourgabledhome!
Other Christmas desserts you might like
Delicious Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)
I know you’re going to LOVE this recipe, it’s definitely a family favorite — don’t forget that you can ask me all your questions in this comments section and I’ll get back to you as fast as I can.