Vanillekipferl - Vanilla Crescent Cookies (2024)

Published: Sep 17, 2019 · Modified: Feb 10, 2023 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 1506 words. · About 8 minutes to read this article.

Vanillekipferl are vanilla crescent cookies filled with nuts and dusted in a generous coating of vanilla sugar. A popular European treat, these delicate cookies are perfect for holiday cookie trays.

Vanillekipferl are crescent shaped cookies, popular in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia. Their signature taste comes from vanilla sugar, a common baking ingredient in Europe.

While vanilla sugar is not common in the United States, it is easy to find online. I also have a few simple ways to make your own at home!

Vanillekipferl remind me of a shortbread cookie, with the addition of ground nuts. They are tender and buttery, with added texture of ground almonds.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Unsalted butter - Can be substituted with salted butter if needed (you'll also want to omit the listed salt).
• All-purpose flour - Adds structure to your cookies. I have not tested this recipe with other types of flours, so I can't say how your cookies would turn out by making flour substitutions. If you don't have all-purpose flour on hand, I recommend searching for a recipe that can be made without substitutions for best success.
• Ground almonds - Can be substituted with almond flour or other ground nuts, like walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans.
• Confectioner's sugar - I use confectioner's sugar in this dough because it's slightly easier to work with in a shortbread type dough when compared to granulated sugar. It also gives the cookies a tender, soft texture when baked. You'll also need a bit of confectioner's sugar for dusting on top.
• Vanilla sugar - This ingredient can be omitted if you don't have any on hand. I've also included instructions on how to make vanilla sugar below (and in the recipe card) if you'd like to make your own.
• Salt - Enhances the flavor of your cookies without making them "salty".

How to make ground almonds

If you don't have ground almonds on hand, it is easy to make your own with whole, raw almonds.

Add your almonds to a food processor, then pulse until you have a coarse meal.

You can use this method for any type of nuts. Be careful not to blend your nuts too much - this is how you make almond butter.

How to make vanilla sugar

Vanilla sugar is a common baking ingredient in Europe, and widely available in stores overseas. However, it is uncommon in the United States.

I found these packets of vanillinzucker on Amazon, which worked perfectly. Keep in mind that vanillezucker is made with real vanilla and vanillinzucker is made with artificial vanilla.

If you'd like to make your own, I recommend checking out this post by The Kitchen Maus: Vanilla Sugar. She compares several types of vanilla sugar and shows you how to make your own using vanilla beans.

You can also make vanilla sugar using vanilla extract. In a food processor, combine ¼ cup of granulated sugar with ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Spread it out to dry. Once dried, the sugar will be clumpy. Transfer back to the food processor and pulse until you have a sugar consistency again.

Tips for baking cookies

For my full list of tips and tricks for making a perfect batch of cookies, check out my post: 10 tips for baking cookies

• Measure flour correctly - The number one issue I see consistently in baking is the mismeasuring of flour. Adding too much flour to a baking recipe will make the dough turn out crumbly and dry, with a diluted flavor. While this crescent cookie dough is a little crumbly (it is a tender, buttery cookie much like a shortbread cookie), it will come together with a little shaping. To properly measure flour, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. If you don't have a kitchen scale, gently stir your flour with a spoon, then spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Scooping flour directly from a bin with your cup compacts the flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe.
• Chill your dough - The step of chilling your dough should not be skipped for several reasons. Chilling the dough helps the flavors to meld, but it also helps your dough firm up, making it easier to manipulate and roll into balls. Chilled dough also spreads less in the oven.
• Keep an eye on your cookies in the oven - Baking times in any recipe are recommendations based on the writer's own experience, and can vary greatly based on your own oven settings. Ovens can run hotter or colder than the next, even when set to the same temperature. I recommend keeping an eye on your cookies instead of the time, and take them out when they look done.
• Don't grease your baking sheets - Adding a layer of grease to a baking sheet causes cookies to spread more in the oven while they bake. Instead, I recommend using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Shaping dough into crescents

For consistent shape and size, I recommend using a medium cookie scoop to portion out your dough, which is 1.5 tablespoons. While not required (the dough can be rolled by hand), this ensures your cookies all turn out the exact same size.

Roll the ball of dough between your hands to make a log, lay onto your baking sheet, then gently turn the ends into a crescent shape.

Be careful - the more you handle the dough, the softer and stickier it becomes. The warmer the dough, the more it will spread when baking. If needed, return your dough to the refrigerator until it firms up again.

Just out of the oven, dust the top of each cookie with a generous layer of dusting sugar. The initial layer may melt slightly, so feel free to dust each cookie twice.

I used a mini strainer to dust my cookies, but there are plenty of fun dusting wands made especially made for this task.

Storage and freezing

Leftover crescent cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Homemade cookies begin to dry out after about two days, so I recommend adding a slice of bread to your cookie container. The bread dries out instead of the cookies, helping keep them fresh for longer.

Baked cookies can also be frozen for three months or more in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. To thaw, place on the countertop for an hour or more.

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