Vanille Kipferl
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and ground almonds. Cut in butter, then knead into a dough. Shape dough into logs and cut off 1/2-inch pieces. Shape each piece into a crescent and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute and roll in vanilla sugar mixture.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and ground almonds. Cut in butter, then knead into a dough. Shape dough into logs and cut off 1/2-inch pieces. Shape each piece into a crescent and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute and roll in vanilla sugar mixture.
- Carbohydrate 16.7607353026538 g
- Cholesterol 27.1377778007187 mg
- Fat 12.3319261216 g
- Fiber 0.857916666625539 g
- Protein 2.32085833588433 g
- Saturated Fat 6.65347964452384 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (36g)
- Sodium 177.848028003828 mg
- Sugar 15.9028186360283 g
- Trans Fat 0.869134500753656 g
- Calories 184 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and ground almonds. Cut in butter with pastry blender, then quickly knead into a dough.
- Shape dough into logs and cut off 1/2-inch pieces. Shape each piece into a crescent and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute and carefully roll in vanilla sugar mixture.
Unlike standard drop cookies that rely on chemical leaveners, traditional Vanille Kipferl depend entirely on the high ratio of unsalted butter and ground almonds for their structure. Swapping standard wheat flour for gluten-free blends will result in a crumbly dough that struggles to hold a crescent shape without the addition of xanthan gum. Cold butter is non-negotiable here; incorporating fat that is too warm melts the flour proteins and eliminates the delicate, sandy crumb characteristic of this pastry.
When cutting the fat into the dry ingredients, use a pastry blender rather than warm hands to prevent the butter from softening prematurely. Knead the dough only until it forms a cohesive mass, as overworking develops gluten and toughens the final texture. Rolling the dough into uniform logs before slicing ensures each piece bakes at an identical rate on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Assessing doneness requires careful visual observation rather than a timer, since oven temperatures fluctuate. Watch for the edges of the crescents to turn a pale golden brown while the tops remain matte and light. Pull the baking sheet from the 325 degrees F oven immediately at this stage to prevent the high butter content from scorching on the bottoms.
Timing the final coating step is critical for proper sugar adhesion. Allow the hot cookies to cool for precisely one minute on the sheet so the exterior firms up enough to handle without breaking. Roll them gently through the vanilla and confectioners' sugar mixture while still warm so the coating melts into a sweet, fragrant crust.
