Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescent Cookies)

These German vanilla crescent cookies called Vanillekipferl are one of my all-time favorite cookies! The tender dough is made with ground almonds and shaped into a crescent, similar to Mandelhörnchen. But these cookies are crunchy and tender, like butter cookies and Linzer cookies.
Plus the sweet aroma and enticing flavor of vanilla is achieved with vanilla extract, so you don't need to break the bank on whole vanilla beans!

Vanilla crescent cookies are topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar, making them look especially festive during Christmas.
In fact, these are my second-favorite German Christmas cookie, after Lebkuchen of course. And you don't need to wait for winter, because these taste great year-round!

The texture of the cookies is buttery and crumbly. They practically melt in your mouth!

Traditionally these are made with the seeds scraped from a whole vanilla pod, but those are crazy expensive! And while cheaper vanilla extract doesn’t provide the exact same punch of vanilla flavor, it’s pretty close!

Growing up in Germany, I developed a love for all sweets dusted in powdered sugar. From Christmas stollen to these delectable Vanillekipferl, I'd often get caught with powdered sugar dusted on my clothes. 🙂 Seriously, these little cookies are so delicious that you'll want to eat half a dozen in one sitting!

What are Vanillekipferl?

Vanillekipferl translates from German to English as “vanilla crescents”. They’re shortbread cookies shaped like crescents. Ground nuts and vanilla add lots of flavor to these cookies, and a heavy dusting of powdered sugar on top sweetens them. They’re buttery, crumbly, and so scrumptious!

Why are They Shaped Like Crescents?

These cookies are said to have originated in the 17th century in Vienna, Austria as a way to celebrate their victory over the Ottomans. A crescent moon appeared on the Ottoman flag (and now the modern-day Turkish flag). Therefore the Austrians were inspired by the crescent shape for their celebratory cookies.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter - Softened butter is essential to make the dough pliable when shaping them into crescents.
• Granulated sugar - Sweetens the cookies a bit, and helps whip air pockets into the butter to make the texture really tender.
• Vanilla extract - While vanilla beans are more traditional in German Vanillekipferl, they're also really expensive. Vanilla extract is a more affordable alternative. Instead of vanilla extract, you could substitute one scraped vanilla bean pod for a stronger vanilla flavor.
• Salt - I recommend using either non-iodized table salt or fine sea salt to best distribute within the dough and enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.
• All purpose flour - Provides the base structure for soft, tender cookies.
• Almond flour - You could either buy pre-ground almond flour, or finely grind whole almonds or hazelnuts in a food processor or coffee grinder.
• Powdered sugar - Adds a sweet coating to the cookies and makes them look really festive.

How to Make These Cookies

How Do I Shape Vanilla Crescent Cookies?

To shape the crescents with the dough, use your thumb to squish inward at the base of the circle of dough.
Then use your fingers to gently squeeze the dough to continue forming into a “C” shape while squishing together any cracks that form.
Use your fingers to squeeze the two ends of the “C” into slight points.

Recipe Tips

• The dough should remain cold, so the butter doesn’t get a chance to warm up before the cookies hit the oven. Therefore, it’s easiest to work in two batches. 
• The dough is fragile and will crack as you shape the crescents. All you have to do is gently squish the dough back together to fix any cracks. 
• Try to shape the cookies as identically as possible, so they all bake at the same time. You can use a kitchen scale to weigh each dough ball, to ensure each Vanillekipferl is the same size, but I usually just eyeball it.
• Dust the cookies with powdered sugar while they’re still warm from the oven, in order to get the powdered sugar to stick. 

Recipe Variations

• You can also roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar, but this is a little more difficult since the cookies are still delicate when they’re warm. 
• Add a little vanilla sugar to the powdered sugar before dusting the cookies for extra vanilla flavor layer.
• For a bigger punch of vanilla flavor, replace the vanilla extract with one scraped vanilla bean.

Storing

Allow the Vanillekipferl to cool completely to room temperature before storing.

Store in an airtight container (or a cookie tin for an authentic German vibe) for up to several weeks.

As with many other German bakes, the flavor becomes better after being stored for at least a day.