Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
Buttery, vanilla-infused and delicately crumbly with an almost melt-in-your-mouth texture, these Austrian vanilla crescent cookies will thoroughly win you over! A traditional Vanillekipferl recipe, the way my Oma and Mutti made them!
What Are Vanillekipferl?
Vanillekipferl are vanilla-flavored crescent-shaped shortbread cookies made with ground nuts – traditionally walnuts but also hazelnuts or almonds – and generously dusted with vanilla sugar. They owe their delicately crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture to the high butter content and the absence of egg. Popular throughout Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, these cookies are enjoyed year-round and can be found in virtually every Viennese coffee house. But these cookies are especially popular at Christmastime. I have fond memories of munching on these crumbly cookies while walking around the Vienna Christmas market as a child and then later on as an adult. The experience of savoring traditional Austrian pastries on location in that magical Christmas atmosphere is one that’s not to be missed if you ever get the chance.
Growing up in Germany, we made these every year at Christmas along with our other favorite traditional Christmas goodies. Christmas in Germany and Austria without Vanillekipferl is practically unthinkable! And I’ve kept that tradition going since moving to the United States.
Where Did They Originate?
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 where it was popularized. Any guesses? 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 ground walnuts and hazelnuts will result in a darker, speckled cookie. They’re all delicious – take your pick!
As already mentioned, these are shortbread cookies and as such no eggs are included (think traditional Scottish shortbread). And though you’ll find some Vanillekipferl recipes that call for eggs, eggs are not traditionally included. Yes, adding an egg will make the dough easier to work with (it’s softer and more pliable), but resist the temptation to do so because you’ll find that working through the drier, flakier shortbread dough is more than worth it in order to experience that heavenly, delicately crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture!
Tips for Making Vanillekipferl
- Almond meal comes both blanched and non-blanched and you can use either. If you prefer “white” vanillekipferl use the former, if you like them speckled, use the latter.
- Traditional Vanillekipferl are made without eggs. Similar to Heidesand and Scottish shortbread, Vanillekipferl are a shortbread-like cookie that should have a very delicate, crumbly, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture. Adding eggs will make the dough easier to work with (there is something of a learning curve to this kind of cookie dough), something to consider if you’re a beginning baker. Otherwise I strongly recommend omitting the eggs so you can enjoy the fabulous texture of these cookies.
- If you can splurge, use the best butter you can find. These cookies are made with few and simple ingredients and so quality is key.
- Don’t take out all of the dough from the refrigerator at once; depending on how quickly you work, take out half or a third of the dough at a time to form the crescents while the remaining dough stays cold in the fridge.
- Make sure the crescents are uniform in size so that they bake evenly.
- Avoid making the ends of the crescents too skinny or they may burn during baking.
- Some bakers roll the cooled crescents in a bowl of confectioner’s sugar while others lay them out and use a sifter to dust them. This is purely a matter of personal preference. While they’ll initially look prettier with a dusting, once they’re stacked in the storage tin it won’t matter.
- The flavor of Vanillekipferl improves with time. As good as they are fresh out of the oven, keep them stored in an airtight tin/container for a few days before eating them to experience the improvement in flavor. Stored properly, Vanillekipferl will keep for up to a month. However, if you use eggs they will only keep for up to one week.
Vanillekipferl Recipe
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.
Take some of the dough out of the fridge, leaving the remaining dough wrapped in the fridge to stay cold. Cut off small pieces of the dough and 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. Shape them into uniform sizes so they bake evenly.
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.
Combine the powdered sugar and the vanilla sugar. You can buy vanilla sugar here.
Or you can make your own vanilla sugar. To make vanilla sugar you 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 my homemade vanilla extract post).
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.
Enjoy!
For more traditional Austrian and German Christmas favorites try my:
- Gugelhupf
- Zimtsterne
- Pfeffernüsse
- Lebkuchen
- Stollen
- Apfelstrudel
- Springerle
- Kokosmakronen
- Printen
- Speculoos Cookies
- Magenbrot
- Bethmännchen
- Heidesand
- Marzipan
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!
Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks (optional but not recommended) (egg is not traditional but for beginning bakers makes the dough easier to work with; see Note)
- 4 ounces (about 1 cup) either walnut, almond, or hazelnut flour
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
- (see pictured instructions in post on how to make your own vanilla sugar)
- 3/4 cup powdered/confectioner sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For Dusting:
- 1/2 cup powdered/confectioner sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
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.Take some of the dough out of the fridge, leaving the remaining dough wrapped in the fridge to stay cold. Cut off small pieces of the dough and shape them into crescents. Shape them into uniform sizes so they bake evenly. 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.Store the cookies in an airtight container in a cool place (not the fridge) and these cookies will keep for 3-4 weeks (1 week if using egg).
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 26, 2017
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I’ve made this recipe twice now, and both times it came out perfectly! No eggs required. The butter softens as you shape it in your hand, so I found the dough quite easy to work with. Also, I wanted to save my precious Dr. Oetker’s vanilla sugar packets for the powdered sugar topping, so I added a dash of vanilla extract to the dough and it worked well. Thank you so much for translating this recipe into an easy-to-follow cups, tablespoons, and Farenheit recipe that tastes authentic!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Lori, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed them!
Super recipe! Worked out just fine. I live in Arizona and the tip someone gave about putting the trays in the freezer before baking was very helpful! M
Thank you, Simone, I’m so glad they were a success!
I was asked to make these for a baby shower on Saturday as it was something that my friends mum (who is no longer here) always made for special occasions. She and the new mum to be have tried to make them but had not succeeded so i was a bit nervous in trying to get them right.
Well it was a huge success! :) they were so happy that i was able to re-create them and have a piece of her mum there on this occasion.
my friend has already put in her order for Christmas as i did such a good job! :)
Fantastic, Katie, I’m so happy they were a hit! Thank you very much for the feedback!
Hi this is c Jean.I’ve made these cookies for years. My recipe is over 100 years old!! I’ve always used just vanilla not the Vanilla sugar. I didn’t know they had something called vanilla sugar. I’ve also never used eggs. For the first time I used my mixer to mix the dough and it was perfect.They are so delicious and my grandkids have always called them moon cookies. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Thank you so much Carol Jean, I’m thrilled you enjoyed them!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. A family friend from Austria told me about these biscuits so I used your recipe to make them. My family loved them and my daughter wants me to make them for her birthday next month!
My question is that although I refrigerated for an hour, by the time I moulded them they had warmed slightly. Would it be helpful to refrigerate again once formed to reduce the mixture spreading whilst baking?
Thanks so very much ;)
Thank you, Rochelle, I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them! Yes, you can try that but they shouldn’t have spread a lot even so. If they spread a lot it sounds like maybe too much egg yolk was added.
I’ve been baking these cookies for 5 years, I’ve tried many recipes, but they always spread a lot! They never look shaped and pretty as they are supposed to. Don’t know what I’m doing wrong :-(
Dough has to be cold. I refrigerate my trays, cookies already placed a few minutes before baking and are most likely to preserve shape. It works for most cookies. Hope it helps.
First time making these.
I’ve made Christmas cake, mince pies and cookies for our friends/neighbours for Christmas, saw this recipe through my email, and thought I would give them a try. Absolutely delicious. Hubby, who didn’t want me to make any more cookies, was the first to try, (he’s an old chef, we’re in our 80’s/78). I’ve had to hide them from him.
I didn’t add an egg, the shaping was just fine, I will definitely be making these again.
I would give them a 10++
That’s wonderful, Carol, thank you so much and Merry Christmas to your and your family!
One word to describe this cookies: Delicious!
HI, I’m making these cookies at the moment and added roughly 240g butter (gram conversion) and followed all other ingredients, and the dough was quite soft and not dry and crumbly – I didn’t add the egg yolk. Just wondering if I’ve done something wrong or added too much butter? :/ i ground the walnuts myself to a cup.
How did they turn out, Rachael?
Today was a snow day in CT. My 6 yr old daughter and I made these. They turned out prefect. The powdered sugar matched the weather outside.
Wonderful, Rayna, I’m so glad you both enjoyed them, thank you! Stay warm and Merry Christmas!
Always make sure the butter is cold. Work the dough fast so it doesn’t get to warm. Then wrap it and put it in fridge. Get already grounded nuts. If you ground them yourself you might have bigger pieces in between, that’s not good. When you take the dough out of the fridge, cut off a small piece for shaping some cookies and put the other dough back in the fridge until you are ready to shape more cookies. It’s important that the dough stays cold. I’m from Austria and I make these cookies since 30 years. They always turn out great. Enjoy 😄
German here! Great and simple recipe. They taste even better after a few days (if there are any left).
Thank you so much, Simone! :)
Thank you so much for writing/posting this recipe! My husband is Austrian – and these are his favorite Christmas cookies – so I wanted to make them for him as a surprise, but as an American and non-German speaker was struggling to locate an authentic recipe I could read. These were literally perfect – I used 1 egg for ease of working the dough, and the texture was still delicious. Really can’t thank you enough! This will be a recipe we turn to many times.
Fantastic, Louise, I’m so glad you both enjoyed them, thank you!
Can you use a dough hook attachment to knead this dough, or is that not recommended?
Hi Sandra, you can definitely give it a try.
I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment and the dough was perfect.
Yes, you can. It’s even recommended because in that way the dough doesn’t get to warm while kneading.
It was so interesting to discover the history of this cookie! I’ve been making something very similar for years (actually decades) but with pecans, no vanilla, and rolled in plain powdered sugar. They are definitely a family and friend favorite—a “must” for the holiday season! I had originally discovered the recipe in a collection called “Five-Star Favorites: Recipes From Friends of Mamie and Ike” (yes, the Eisenhowers) which has recipes by their celebrity friends of the mid-20th century. The recipe for Pecan Crescents was attributed to the ambassador to Belgium, but now I know the real story! The proportions are just slightly different–a lot more nuts and a lot less sugar in the cookie, but probably end up with more sugar on the outside so overall it’s probably about the same: 2-1/4 c. flour, 1 c. unsalted* butter, 1-1/2 c. finely chopped pecans (I start with whole or halves and then use food processor, as they have better flavor than pre-chopped), 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 t. salt*, 1/4 t. baking powder, confectioner’s sugar (for rolling the cookies in after they have cooled, probably about half a bag; some people like it simply without the confectioner’s sugar, as a more savory option). Oven temp and cooking time–350 degrees for 12-15 min.–are the same as for Vanillekipferl recipe here. And no eggs. No vanilla either, but the flavor of the pecans is enough. Simply the best!!!
*I usually use salted butter and then cut back slightly on the salt. I’ve tried it with unsalted butter and then adding salt, but I must like extra salt because I prefer it with salted butter!
I’m glad you enjoyed the read, Monique! The cookbook you mentioned sounds super fun and I just ordered a copy – thank you! :)
This recipe worked wonderfully using one egg yolk. I measured/weighed the ingredients very carefully. I had the easiest time ever shaping pretzels. They were perfect, with no spreading during baking. I hope I am as successful in subsequent endeavors using this recipe.
Fantastic, Jyl, thank you so much for the feedback!