Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)

The Christmas season wouldn’t be half as lovely without them: Vanillekipferl, the traditional Austrian vanilla crescent cookies. These cookies are made without eggs and are wonderfully tender and crumbly – they practically melt in your mouth. My tried-and-tested recipe is based on an Austrian school cookbook from 1971, and as a seasoned Christmas cookie eater, I dare say these are the best Vanillekipferl ever. To help you get them just right, I’m sharing my favorite tips for making the perfect shortcrust dough, shaping even crescents, and dusting them with vanilla sugar after baking.

Traditional Austrian Vanillekipferl – A Recipe from 1971

Vanillekipferl are a classic of Austrian Christmas baking and are also popular in Bohemia and Germany. For me, November and December just wouldn’t be the same without them.

My recipe could easily have come from my grandmother or great-grandmother. But I actually found it in an Austrian school cookbook called Morgen bist du Hausfrau *) (Tomorrow You’ll Be a Housewife) from 1971. Well, that’s already more than 50 years ago – so for many of you, it probably could be your grandmother’s recipe after all.

Back then, girls were still taught at school how to run a household. In Austria, married women also needed their husband’s consent to work outside the home until the family law reform of 1975. Thankfully, that’s hard to imagine today.

Despite its rather outdated view of women, the book is a wonderful source of traditional Austrian recipes.

I’ve increased the original ingredient quantities by a factor of 1.4. For one thing, the original recipe simply didn’t make enough cookies for my liking. And this way, I end up using exactly 250 g of vegan butter – one whole package, which makes measuring easier.

There’s another rather bizarre detail about this cookbook that I have to share: In its tiny, two-page chapter titled “Dishes Without Meat,” you’ll find ingredients such as bacon, minced meat, sausage, beef broth, and anchovy fillets.

It reminds me of something I used to hear quite often: “Oh, come on, that little bit of sausage doesn’t count as meat!”

Vanillekipferl With or Without Eggs – Which Is Better?

You don’t need eggs to make wonderfully tender and crumbly Vanillekipferl. Classic shortcrust pastry works perfectly well without them.

Adding an egg or egg yolk can make the dough more pliable and easier to shape. Depending on the recipe, however, the finished cookies may also turn out a little firmer and less crumbly.

And that’s exactly what I don’t want. For me, good Vanillekipferl should break apart delicately when you bite into them and almost melt in your mouth. They should be neither hard nor dry.

That’s why I stick to my tried-and-tested egg-free version.

Why These Vanillekipferl Are Also Vegan

You don’t have to make any major changes to this traditional recipe to bake vegan Vanillekipferl.

Even the 1971 cookbook calls for margarine instead of butter, and eggs aren’t included in the ingredients at all.

I use plant-based butter or margarine that’s suitable for baking. Just make sure the product you choose is actually vegan.

Together with flour, ground almonds, and powdered sugar, it makes a simple shortcrust dough – without any animal-derived ingredients.

To me, these vegan Christmas cookies taste exactly how traditional Vanillekipferl should taste. Actually, there’s no need to compare them with the classics – they are classics themselves.

Which Ingredients Make Vanillekipferl So Tender and Crumbly?

You only need a few ingredients for this recipe. What really matters is the right combination and how you handle the dough.

• All-purpose flour (plain flour): Works well for delicate shortcrust cookies. Avoid kneading the dough longer than necessary to keep the cookies tender.
• Ground almonds: I use almonds with their skins on. You can also use ground hazelnuts, walnuts, or a mixture of different nuts. This will, of course, change the flavor.
• Powdered sugar (icing sugar): Its fine texture helps create a delicate, even consistency. That’s why I use it both in the dough and for dusting the cookies.
• Vegan butter: Gives the cookies their characteristic crumbly texture and rich, buttery flavor. Make sure it’s suitable for baking and cold when you prepare the dough.

Finally, the crescent cookies are dusted with a mixture of powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. This is what gives them their characteristic vanilla flavor.

By the way, I like making my own vanilla sugar. I simply mix real ground vanilla bean powder *) with sugar and store it in small jars with tight-fitting lids. That way, I always have some ready to use.

Tips for Perfect Vanillekipferl

Making Vanillekipferl is actually pretty quick and easy. Still, a few small details can make the difference between beautifully crumbly cookies, dough that falls apart when shaping, and crescents that spread in the oven.

The most important things are the temperature of the dough and working quickly. Kneading or shaping the dough for too long warms up the butter. This can make the dough sticky and affect the texture of the finished cookies.

Vanillekipferl Dough: Keep Cool

• Work quickly: Combine the cold, cubed vegan butter with the other ingredients as quickly as possible. Once the dough comes together, there’s no need to keep kneading.
• Let the dough rest: Chilling the dough in the refrigerator allows the fat to firm up again, making it easier to shape.
• Sticky dough: If the dough becomes soft and sticks to your hands, it’s probably too warm. Put it back in the refrigerator rather than adding extra flour.
• Crumbly dough: Straight from the refrigerator, the dough can sometimes be too firm and break apart when you try to shape it. Let the portion you’re working with warm up slightly until it’s easier to handle.
• Work in batches: This recipe makes approximately two baking sheets of cookies. While you’re shaping the first batch, keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator.

You can also prepare the dough using a stand mixer *). Add the butter a few pieces at a time and mix only as long as necessary.

How to Shape Even Vanilla Crescent Cookies

For all the crescents to bake evenly, they should be roughly the same size and thickness.

Here’s what I pay attention to when shaping them:

• Don’t make them too big: I use pieces of dough slightly smaller than a walnut. The cookies expand a little during baking – something I still manage to underestimate almost every time.
• Keep the thickness even: Very thin sections will brown faster, while thicker parts may still be underbaked.
• Avoid pointed ends: They can burn easily. That’s why my Vanillekipferl look more like little U shapes, with slightly rounded ends.
• Leave some space: The cookies spread a little while baking, so don’t place them too close together on the baking sheet.

What If the Vanillekipferl Spread in the Oven?

If the shaped crescents have already become very soft and warm before baking, they may spread in the oven and turn flat.

If that happens, it helps to chill the entire baking sheet before putting it in the oven, allowing the fat in the dough to firm up again. If your refrigerator isn’t big enough, a cold balcony or unheated stairwell can also work, provided it’s cold enough.

Of course, it’s better to work quickly from the beginning and keep the remaining dough chilled.

How Long Should You Bake Vanillekipferl?

Vanillekipferl should stay pale and become only very lightly golden. If they brown too much, they lose their delicate texture and won’t taste quite as good.

The ideal temperature also depends on your oven. In my previous oven, 160°C (320°F) with conventional top and bottom heat was enough. In my current kitchen, I bake them at 170°C (340°F).

My cookies usually take about 15 minutes to bake, but I start checking them after approximately 10 minutes.

How to Dust Vanillekipferl Without Breaking Them

Fresh from the oven, Vanillekipferl are incredibly fragile. Sometimes it feels as though even looking at them the wrong way could break them.

That’s why I don’t touch them at first and leave them on the baking sheet.

While they’re still warm, I generously dust them with the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar mixture. A fine-mesh sieve is particularly useful for distributing the sugar evenly.

Only once the cookies have cooled completely and become more stable do I carefully remove them from the baking sheet. You can also gently roll them in the excess sugar at this point.

How Long Do Vanillekipferl Keep?

Stored in a tightly sealed cookie tin in a cool, dry place, Vanillekipferl keep for approximately four weeks.

So you can easily bake them well ahead of Christmas. That is, if you manage to hide them from yourself.