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    Home » Recipes » Soy Free

    Vanillekipferl (German Crescent Cookies)

    Published: Jun 19, 2018 Updated: Jul 4, 2020 Author: Roxana Begum· This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe
    Vanilla crescent cookies dusted with vanilla sugar and arranged on a plate.

    Vanillekipferl or Vanilla Crescent Cookies are buttery, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth German cookies that are rich, made with ground nuts and covered with fine vanilla sugar. So mouthwatering, pretty and festive! Classic, healthy makeover, vegan options.

    Vanilla crescent cookies (vanillekipferl) arranged on a steel plate and placed on a blue table mat.

    Table of Contents

    • What are Vanillekipferl or Vanilla Crescents?
    • Tips for Making Vanillekipferl (Crescent Cookies)
    • Healthy Makeover
    • What is Vanilla Sugar?
    • Where to Buy Vanilla Sugar?
    • How to Make Vanilla Sugar?
    • More Cookie Recipes:
    • Vanillekipferl (German Crescent Cookies)
      • Ingredients
        • Cookie Dough
        • Sugar Topping
      • Instructions
      • Notes
      • Nutrition

    What are Vanillekipferl or Vanilla Crescents?

    Vanillekipferl mean "vanilla crescents" in German. Although, considered to have originated in Austria, they are popularly made in Germany and other eastern European countries.

    Traditional recipes use ground walnuts and no eggs. However, there are now modern recipes in Germany that also use ground almonds or hazelnuts and egg yolks. Working with the vanillekipferl dough can be a bit difficult, so adding the egg yolks makes it easier.

    I had my first taste of these delicious holiday cookies when my mother-in-law made them so many years ago. Since then I have baked them several times. Below I share both the classic recipe and a healthier makeover.

    Tips for Making Vanillekipferl (Crescent Cookies)

    • Chill the dough when using butter to make the classic version of vanillekipferl.
    • The dough may be a bit difficult initially, but when you begin to work with it you will be able to figure out when it is most pliable to make the crescent shapes.
    • Take equal portions of the dough and compact it into small cylindrical rope shapes before shaping it into crescents. That helps to shape them more easily.
    • Use finely ground nuts. If using unblanched ground nuts, the cookies will have a dotted appearance. You may also use ground almond meal.
    • For the healthier option, use only "light" tasting olive oil, not extra-virgin or regular olive oil.
    • Do not over bake the cookies. They should just turn a light golden at the ends, which should take between 10 to 14 minutes.
    • Right out of the oven they are fragile, dust with the sugar and let them cool before handling.
    A close up shot of German crescent cookies.

    Healthy Makeover

    Vanilla crescent cookies are rich shortbread cookies made with butter and ground nuts. But I also tried a modified recipe without butter and had great results.

    I substituted butter with a mixture of creamy cashew butter and light olive oil. Believe it or not, it gave me really buttery shortbread texture and was quite tasty.

    So if you prefer to skip butter or have loved ones on a restricted saturated fat diet, this will work very well. Cashew butter works great as it is so creamy. But you may try other "ultra" creamy hazelnut or almond butters.

    The dough may be a bit more difficult to shape, but it works well and I was successfully able to make cookies and the proof is in the pictures.

    Sugar is critical to get a good texture for these baked cookies. So it is not really possible to skip that. Honey is not going to work very well. Whole wheat pastry flour works well and can be used instead of all purpose flour.

    For a hint of butter flavor, you may lightly brush or spray some melted brown butter on top of the oven-fresh hot cookies.

    Brown butter or butterschmalz (used in Germany) hasa more intense nutty flavor. And you might think that this step may drench the cookies, but it will absolutely not, if you do it carefully!

    Try to use grass fed butter.

    Vegan Option: Just use cashew butter and light olive oil. Use sugar that is appropriate for vegan cooking. Don't use any dairy butter for brushing on the top. Skip the egg yolks and use couple more teaspoons oil if needed.

    German vanilla crescent cookies also known as vanillekipferl, placed close together on a plate.

    What is Vanilla Sugar?

    German vanilla crescent cookies are covered with an aromatic vanilla sugar, which is simply vanilla flavored sugar and is commonly used in European baking. One sachet of vanilla sugar can be replaced with 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in suitable recipes.

    Where to Buy Vanilla Sugar?

    Here in the US, I have found Dr. Oetker brand vanilla sugar in international aisles of supermarkets or at European markets. It is also available online on Amazon or Walmart. Try to get the one that is flavored naturally.

    How to Make Vanilla Sugar?

    Scrape out the seeds of a vanilla bean with back of a knife and mix it well with one cup sugar. Transfer it to an airtight glass container. Insert the scraped out vanilla bean into the sugar and let it sit 1 to 2 weeks.

    Alternatively you may mix a teaspoon of natural vanilla extract with half cup sugar and give it a quick pulse in a food processor. Spread this mixture on a tray and let it dry and run it through the food processor before storing it.

    If you prefer the flavor to be more intense, just use more seeds from another vanilla bean or more vanilla extract.

    Vanilla crescent cookies dusted with vanilla sugar and arranged on a plate.

    More Cookie Recipes:

    • Maamoul (Date Filled Cookies)
    • Persian Chickpea Cookies
    • Anise Almond Biscotti

    ★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!

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    German vanilla crescent cookies also known as vanillekipferl, served on a plate.
    5 from 4 votes

    Vanillekipferl (German Crescent Cookies)

    Vanillekipferl or Vanilla Crescent Cookies are buttery, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth German cookies that are rich, made with ground nuts and covered with fine vanilla sugar. So mouthwatering, pretty and festive! Healthy makeover and vegan options in notes section.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Print
    Course :Dessert
    Cuisine :German
    Servings: 40 Cookies
    Calories: 91kcal
    Author: Roxana Begum

    Ingredients

    Cookie Dough

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 pinch baking powder
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 14 tablespoon butter unsalted, cold soft chunks
    • 1 cup ground almonds
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 1 tablespoon pistachios sliced (optional)

    Sugar Topping

    • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sift into a mixing bowl.
    • Add the remaining ingredients and process it all together with a hand held mixer.
    • Alternatively you could use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment; try it in a food processor with short pulses or just combine it manually.
    • At first, mix the ingredients at low speed. Then knead it at medium speed into a smooth dough. If necessary you may finish the kneading process manually on a work surface.
    • Chill the dough if it is sticky. Divide the dough into four portions, wrap and refrigerate.
    • Take each portion out and roll it into a 10 inch cylindrical rope and cut into 10 portions.
    • Shape a small dough portion into a 2 to 3 inch rope form and taper at the ends, shaping them into crescents.
    • Place the crescents spacing 1 to 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
    • Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 14 minutes until the ends turn a light golden.
    • Mix the powdered sugar with vanilla sugar and sift it all over the hot cookies right after baking.
    • Let the cookies cool completely before transferring to cookie jars.
    • Store them in airtight containers up to 2 weeks.

    Notes

    1. Healthy Makeover: Use a mixture of ½ cup cashew butter (100 g) and ½ cup light olive oil (100 g) instead of butter. Add an extra egg yolk if needed. If the dough is not very pliable at one to two teaspoons olive oil and mix it into the dough.
    2. To make your own vanilla sugar - combine the seeds of a vanilla bean with one cup sugar, mix it well and let it sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Alternatively you may mix a teaspoon of natural vanilla extract with half cup sugar, let it dry and pulse it in a food processor.
    3. For vegan option, use the oil plus nut butter combination above and skip egg yolks. You may have to use a couple teaspoons more oil if the dough is not workable.
    4. Check the full blog post above for more tips.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @thedeliciouscrescent or tag #thedeliciouscrescent!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kim

      December 17, 2018 at 5:11 pm

      Are ground almonds the same as almond flour? Or does it need to be a chunkier consistency?

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        December 17, 2018 at 8:54 pm

        That is very finely ground almonds. You could try using almond meal.

        Reply
    2. Natalie

      June 26, 2018 at 5:05 am

      YUM! These cookies look absolutely delicious!

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        June 28, 2018 at 1:12 am

        Thank you Natalie :)

        Reply
    3. Caroline

      June 19, 2018 at 11:47 pm

      I haven't had these in years, but seeing them brings back memories of Christmastime in Germany. Lots of handy tips for making them too.I think you could probably make the 'healthy' ones even more so using white whole wheat pastry flour too.

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        June 20, 2018 at 2:26 am

        Yes indeed, I tried the whole wheat pastry version successfully as I suggest that in the blog post.

        Reply
    4. Monica

      June 19, 2018 at 10:20 pm

      It took me the longest time to adjust to the use of vanilla sugar instead of vanilla extract when I moved to Europe - in fact I still rely on extract most of the time, old habits die hard I guess! But I love the handy substitution you mention here. And the cookies are beautiful!

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        June 20, 2018 at 2:22 am

        Thanks for your nice feedback Monica. Here in the US I have become used to using vanilla sugar since I make a lot of German treats.

        Reply
    5. Tisha

      June 19, 2018 at 10:19 pm

      Can't wait to try these!

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        June 20, 2018 at 2:21 am

        So glad.

        Reply
    6. Jessica Randhawa

      June 19, 2018 at 8:54 pm

      These sound fantastic! An I love that you provided a healthier option :) I can never have just one (or two) cookies...

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        June 20, 2018 at 2:20 am

        Thanks Jessica. So happy you like them. Me too, I felt I could have an extra cashew butter version.

        Reply
    7. Lauren

      June 19, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      These sound delicious - I really want to try the version with the cashew butter!

      Reply
      • Roxana Begum

        June 20, 2018 at 2:19 am

        Thanks Lauren. The cashew butter ones were so good!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Roxana, registered dietitian and recipe developer. Here I share wholesome & delicious recipes with room for cravings. Healthy makeovers. Step-by-step photos & videos.
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