Vanillekipfer Austrian Vanilla Cookies
In Austria, Christmas isn’t complete without the Vanillekipferl, traditional vanilla crescent cookies in the shape of a crescent moon (Kirpfel means “crescent”), perfect to enjoy during afternoon tea or breakfast with a good cup of hot chocolate or tea.
These cookies are truly delicious, with an unmistakable vanilla aroma and so crumbly, they melt in your mouth and disappear in no time!
The Vanillekipfer are perfect as DIY Christmas gifts or to put in the Epiphany stocking, packaged in food bags with Christmas decorations or Christmas tin boxes for cookies.
In the notes below, I’ll also provide the recipe for Austrian Vanillekipfer without eggs.
These cookies are among my Top recipes for their simplicity and taste. If you’re looking for tried and tested recipes, delicious and flop-proof, search the Blog among my strong points in the dedicated Section: “My TOP recipes”
If you’re looking for recipes to make homemade cookies, click on my “Special Cookie”
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: About 30 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Austrian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for Vanillekipfer Austrian Vanilla Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (weak flour, I use Caputo pastry or Garofalo w 170)
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1 1/8 cups butter (quality, I use Lurpak or Shaves)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp of Bourbon vanilla seeds)
- 1 g fine salt
- as needed powdered vanilla sugar
- as needed granulated vanilla sugar (optional)
- 2 vanilla pods (optional)
Tools
- Bowl
- Stand Mixer
- Knife
- Plastic Wrap
- Baking Tray
- Containers
Steps for Vanillekipfer Austrian Vanilla Cookies
I would like to note that all ingredients must be at room temperature, take them out of the fridge at least an hour before.
Work the soft butter and sugar with the stand mixer (or electric mixer), for about 5 minutes, until you get a homogeneous mixture. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and then the almond flour while continuing to mix, until well combined. Finally, add the all-purpose flour and incorporate it into the mixture using a spatula, working the dough as little as possible for about 30 seconds, avoiding overworking the dough.
Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap, put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or even better, overnight).
After the indicated time, form many small logs about 2 inches long and about 3/4 inch in diameter, and shape into crescents thinning the ends, which you will arrange spaced apart on a perforated baking tray (this way you can also avoid greasing it, see below in Shopping Tips) or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
To ensure the cookies maintain their shape in the oven, without spreading, before baking, chill the tray with the cookies in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes and then bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 12 minutes (but it depends on your oven) they should remain light in color.
Once baked, do not touch them immediately because they are very delicate, wait a few minutes and then dip them while still warm, one by one, in plenty of powdered vanilla sugar or in granulated vanilla sugar (obtained by leaving one or two vanilla pods in a glass jar covered with granulated sugar for at least a day).
The Vanillekipfer can be stored for a long time in a tin box (or even better, in a glass jar with a vanilla pod) and are served cold, better if prepared a few days in advance, they gain in flavor and crumbliness.
Notes and Tips
For the original Austrian Vanillekipfer without eggs:
2 cups weak all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups finely chopped blanched almonds or almond flour*
7 oz butter
1/4 cup sugar
vanilla sugar (you can leave a vanilla pod in a glass jar covered with powdered sugar)
*The almond flour can be replaced with 1 1/4 cups finely chopped walnuts (optional)
With the stand mixer, mix the soft butter and the weak all-purpose flour
Add the sugar and almond flour and let the stand mixer run just long enough to combine the ingredients.
Let the dough rest in a cool place for at least half an hour.
Form balls the size of a walnut and shape them into crescents. Place them on a perforated baking sheet or lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake at 392°F for about 10 minutes (depends on your oven).
Roll in vanilla sugar while still warm.
Shopping Tips!!!
To weigh the ingredients, I use this handy Digital Kitchen Scale, with a large removable bowl, tare function, and built-in timer, available on Amazon at a great price. #adv
To knead to perfection and to whip the dough, I use my Titanium Chef Patissier XL Stand Mixer with 7L EasyWarm Bowl, integrated scale, and blender, a faithful ally in the kitchen for: kneading, weighing, whipping, cooking, chopping, pasteurizing eggs.
You can find this stand mixer on Amazon at a special price, click HERE !
If you’re looking for a more affordable and smaller model with a 4-liter bowl, you can consider purchasing the Kenwood KVC7300S Chef Titanium Stand Mixer, with built-in lighting, the rubber whisk, and the included pastry spatula. #adv
For baking cookies, this Master Class Perforated Baking Tray is ideal, alone or paired with this perforated silicone mat.#adv
