Vanilla Kipferl Cookies

4.75 from 8 reviews

Vanilla Kipferl Cookies are a traditional Austrian Christmas cookie. These light and crisp cookies are always shaped like a crescent and dusted with vanilla sugar.

Prep Time20

Bake Time15

Total Time35

Servings:72 cookies

Ingredients

4 oz confectioner's sugar (1 cup)
8 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 oz all purpose flour (2 cups, see note)
¼ teaspoon table salt
4 oz hazelnuts (finely ground (see note))
4 oz confectioner's sugar (1 cup for dusting)
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (for dusting (see note))

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line two ½ sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Cream 4 oz confectioner's sugar and 8 oz unsalted butter until light and aerated. Add 1 large egg yolk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add 10 oz all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon table salt and 4 oz hazelnuts (finely ground) and mix just until incorporated.
On a lightly floured surface and with your hands floured, form the dough into a log shape about 2" wide. Cut the long into 4 sections. Roll one section to a ½" thick rope. Cut the rope into 2" segments. Repeat with the other three pieces of dough.
Roll both ends of each 2" piece of dough to form tapered points. Bend both ends to form the crescent shape. Place the cookies on the prepared pan, ½" apart. (see note) Bake until the tips turn golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. While the cookies are baking, whisk 4 oz confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar in a small bowl or pie plate.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for just 1-2 minutes so you can pick them up without them breaking apart. Roll the warm cookies in the sugar. Reserve any left over sugar. When the cookies are completely cool sprinkle them generously with the remaining sugar.
The cookies will keep, stored in a covered container, at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Almonds, walnuts or pecans can be used in place of the hazelnuts.

I keep a separate bin of granulated sugar in the pantry for vanilla sugar. Whenever I use a vanilla bean I put the empty pod in the vanilla sugar bin. The pods will perfume the sugar in a few days. For a last minute vanilla sugar rub a few vanilla bean seeds into granulated sugar to flavor the sugar.

To work ahead, the formed cookies can be frozen on the sheet pan and then transferred to storage bags. Keep up to 2-3 months. You can bake the cookies without defrosting. This may add a few minutes to the baking time.

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