Buttery, vanilla-infused and delicately crumbly with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, these Austrian Vanillekipferl cookies will thoroughly win you over!
Popular throughout Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, these cookies are a popular favorite, especially at Christmastime, though enjoyed year-round and found in virtually every Viennese coffee house.
Growing up in Germany, we made these every year at Christmas along with several other traditional German Christmas goodies. Christmas without Vanillekipferl is practically unthinkable!
Vanillekipferl owe their melt-in-your-mouth texture to the high butter content and the absence of egg. They’re a shortbread cookie made with the addition of nuts and a generous dusting of vanilla sugar, which you can either buy ready made or easily make it yourself (see further below).
Though popular throughout much of Europe, Vanillekipferl originated in Vienna, Austria around 400 years ago when, in celebration of a victory over the Ottoman Turks, the locals created this pastry in the shape of the crescent moon (“kipferl”) found on the Turkish banner.
In the ongoing wars with the Turks, the Austrians came up with additional crescent-shaped pastries, the most famous of which eventually made its way to France: The croissant. (Yes, we owe the croissant to none other than Austria!)
Traditionally Vanillekipferl are made with ground walnuts which result in a moister texture, but ground almonds or hazelnuts can also be used. Ground blanched almonds will result in a light-colored cookie whereas walnuts and hazelnuts will result in a darker, speckled cookie. They’re all delicious – choose according to your preference!
As already mentioned, these are shortbread cookies and though you’ll find some recipes that call for eggs, eggs are not traditionally included. Though adding an egg will make the dough easier to work with (softer and more pliable), resist the temptation to do so because you’ll find that working through the drier, flakier shortbread dough is more than worth it in the end in order to experience that heavenly Vanillekipferl melting in your mouth!
Let’s get started!
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and knead until thoroughly combined. The dough will be fairly dry and flaky.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Shape the dough into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Cut off pieces of the dough to shape them into crescents. It’s usually easiest to shape them into crescents on the cookie sheet but some people find it easier to shape them in their hands. Do whichever works for you.
Place the cookies a non-stick or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size of the crescents) or until the edges begin to turn golden.
Let the cookies sit for one minute and then use a sifter to dust them with the vanilla-powdered sugar while they’re still hot. Let the cookies cool completely and then give them a second dusting.
You can buy Vanilla Sugar HERE.
OR:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN VANILLA SUGAR: Simply place vanilla beans in a container or ziploc bag of white granulated sugar. Seal shut and let it sit a few weeks, shaking occasionally. Discard the vanilla beans – your vanilla sugar is ready to use! How many vanilla beans you use depends on how strong you want the flavor and how much sugar you’re making. I make my own homemade vanilla extract and use those beans to make sugar – it’s a great way to make double use of the beans (I explain it further in the vanilla extract post).
Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, these cookies will keep for several weeks.
Enjoy!
Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks (optional; it does make the otherwise dry/crumbly dough much easier to work with but the cookies won't have quite the same melt-in-your-mouth texture *see Note)
- 4 ounces (about 1 cup) ground walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts (see blog post for more info)
- 1 package (1 1/2 teaspoons) vanilla sugar
- (see pictured instructions in post on how to make your own vanilla sugar)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (aka confectioner sugar)
- small pinch of salt
- For Dusting:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 packet (1 1/2 teaspoons) vanilla sugar
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and knead until thoroughly combined. Unless you're using the egg yolks the dough will be pretty dry and flaky, like shortbread cookie dough. Shape the dough into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut off small pieces of the dough and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents onto a non-stick or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size of the crescents) or until the edges begin to turn golden.
- Combine the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. Let the cookies sit for one minute and then use a sifter to dust them with the vanilla-powdered sugar while they're still hot. Let the cookies cool completely and then give them a second dusting.
- Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, these cookies will keep for several weeks.
Daniele says
Thank you so much for your very prompt and good reply. It makes sense indeed. Anyway I am about to bake those wonderful croissants de lune which I made before a few years ago, as I always like to try different recipes. Best. Daniele
brooke says
I have triple checked the ingredients and the directions but I have followed everything to the letter. Mine are way too dry and basically cutting the log caused half of the cookies to crumble apart and revert to crumbs. This is not the first time I have made vanilla kipferl, living in germany, but it is the first time i tried this recipe as ive never found a recipe with the exact right taste. I really don’t understand. I will try and make some adjustments and get the dough to stay together better.
Zorka says
The recipe is missing 2-3 egg yolks depending on butter and flour quantities
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Not at all, Zorka, Vanillekipferl are shortbread cookies and traditionally do not contain any egg.
Zorka Phillis says
Hi, Im sure sure recipe works but Vanillekipferl are not shortbread cookies they are Austrian Vanilla Crescents. If you search the internet there are many different recipes but most traditional Vanillekipferl recipes have 2 egg yolks. Yesterday your recipe had no eggs, today it says 1 large egg yolk (optional, only if the dough is too frustrating for you to work with. My mother was from Vienna and her recipe was handed down to me and had 2 egg yolks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Zorka, yes, that’s their name in English, but shortbread cookies describes the type of dough it is and that’s what they are without the inclusion of eggs – shortbread shaped like crescents. Your mother may very well have preferred to includes eggs in her version and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. Some recipes do. You mention that most recipes online include eggs and if you’re doing an online search in English you’re absolutely correct – the vast majority of English recipes for Austrian Vanillekipferl do include eggs. However, if you change your online search to “Vanillekipferl rezept” so that you can search through actual Austrian recipes written in German, you’ll find very different results. The same is true for the Austrian cookbooks I brought back with me from Austria whose Vanillekipferl recipes do not include eggs. I’m not saying that there aren’t any Austrian recipes that contain eggs because there most certainly are. I’m just saying that you’ll find MANY, possibly even the majority, that do not. Also, some of the popular commercially-sold brands of Vanillekipferl are made without eggs (for example, Gaber and Dr. Oetker).
As to what is truly “traditional”, well that term has multiple definitions. I have older family friends in Austria with recipe was handed down from their great grandmothers that doesn’t include eggs. But someone else may have a 19th century recipe that does include them. And so “traditional” can also mean whatever is traditional to YOUR particular family.
In an attempt to mitigate the ongoing debate between those who insist on eggs and those who insist on none I went ahead and included an “optional” egg yolk. But I still recommend trying them without. Vanillekipferl made without eggs are delicately crumbly, with a loose and light crumb that melts in your mouth. Traditionally they were made with walnuts because they have a higher moisture content to help compensate for the lack of egg. Including eggs causes the cookies to compact more, to become more dense, and they lose that wonderful characteristic. But in the end all that matters is that we can all eat what we enjoy and celebrate the beauty of food and food traditions – whatever our particular food traditions may be. And on that I’m sure we can both agree. Kind regards, Kimberly
Susan Mehler says
Im glad I came to the comment section! Your printable recipe doesn’t state “unsalted butter”, you may want to update that!
Jade says
Silly question is almond flour the same as ground almonds?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jade, yes it is but it’s very finely ground almonds.
Jade says
Do you think it is suitable or should I grind my own to make them coarser?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You don’t want coarsely ground almonds for these cookies, you want very finely ground ones, i.e., “almond flour.” So yes, the store-bought almond flour (some brands call it “almond meal”) is perfect and is what you’ll need for these cookies.
Aleksandra says
Another classic recipe. So glad I’ve found this site. My Oma‘s Vanillekipferl and other Kipferl type cookies also have no eggs. A tricker dough to shape, light fingers are needed, and the reward is a wonderfully textured cookie. Danke Kimberly.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Aleksandra, I’m so glad you found us too and as always I appreciate your feedback! :)
Siggy says
Amazing recipe!!! Thank you, this recipe brings me back to my childhood in Germany.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Siggy, thanks so much!