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Vanillekipferl

Name: Vanillekipferl
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Cuisine: Austrian
Ingredients: 210 g plain flour; 70 g ground almonds; 50 g icing sugar; 1 pinch salt; 170 g cold unsalted butter; 2 egg yolks; 0.5 vanilla pod; 80 g icing sugar; 2 tbsp vanilla sugar

Vanilla almond crescents

Vanillekipferl: Viennese almond crescents rolled in vanilla sugar

Features:Vegetarian Make ahead

Cuisine:

Austrian

No Austrian Christmas cookie tin is complete without Vanillekipferl, the pale little crescents that melt on the tongue; Viennese grandmothers bake them by the hundred in early December, and they are just as loved over the border in Bavaria. The dough is short and rich with butter and ground almonds, and the crescents are rolled in vanilla sugar while still warm so it sticks. The common mistake is overbaking: they should stay pale with only the tips turning golden, or they lose their tender, sandy texture. Chef's tip: chill the dough well and shape it with cool hands; warm dough cracks and the crescents spread in the oven.

Total time: 42 min
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 20

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Ingredients

Serves20

For the dough

7 ½ oz plain flour
2 ½ oz ground almondsblanched
1 ¾ oz icing sugar
1 pinch salt
6 oz cold unsalted butterdiced
2 egg yolks
½ vanilla podseeds scraped

For rolling

2 ⅞ oz icing sugar
2 tbsp vanilla sugar

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Method

0/5 done

Step 1: Rub the 7 ½ oz plain flour, 2 ½ oz ground almonds, 1 ¾ oz icing sugar, 1 pinch salt and 6 oz cold unsalted butter together with your fingertips until like breadcrumbs. Add the 2 egg yolks and ½ vanilla pod seeds and knead quickly into a smooth dough. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
10 min
Step 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays. Mix the 2 ⅞ oz icing sugar and 2 tbsp vanilla sugar in a wide bowl.
5 min
Step 3: Pinch off 10 g pieces, roll each into a 6 cm sausage with slightly thinner ends and bend into a crescent on the tray.
15 min
Step 4: Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes until the tips are just turning golden but the crescents are still pale.
12 min
Step 5: Leave 2 minutes, then while still warm and fragile roll them gently in the vanilla-sugar mixture. Cool completely and store in a tin for up to 3 weeks.
5 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 150 kcal
Protein: 2 g
Carbs: 14 g
Fat: 10 g
Fibre: 1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does vanillekipferl take?: About 42 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?: Yes. It has no meat or fish.
Can I make it ahead?: Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of plain flour?: Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
What can I use instead of ground almonds?: Ground cashews, same amount.

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