Vanilla Crescents (Vanillekipferl) - German Christmas Cookies
These delicate, crescent shaped cookies flavored with vanilla and dusted with confectioner's originated in Austria but have become classic German Christmas cookies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 100 g, at room temperature
- 1 cup flour scant 100 g
- 1 oz fine corn meal scant 25 g
- 2.3 oz ground almonds 65 g
- confectioner's sugar 50 g
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar 100g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Combine the butter, flour and corn meal until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the almonds, confectioner's sugar and egg yolk and mix until it forms a dough. Shape into a log, then wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for an hour.
- Meanwhile split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise. Scrape the black seeds out and mix them well with the superfine sugar.
- Remove the cling wrap from the dough and cut the log into 25 even sized pieces. Roll each piece into a log shape, then pinch each end and bend into a crescent shape. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Dust the warm cookies liberally with the vanilla sugar, serve and enjoy!
