Vanillekipferl are very traditional Christmas biscuits from Germany and Austria. “Vanille” is German for vanilla and “kipferl” describes the crescent-shape of the cookies.
You can see them in every bakery during this time. While we have already shared a very basic recipe for classic Christmas cookies with you, we also wanted to share a traditional one. This one does not involve any decoration as you just cover the cookies in powdered sugar.
Things to know before you start
Time Schedule
| Steps | Work time | Waiting time |
| Mix | ~10 minutes | – |
| Rest | – | 30 minutes |
| Shape (2x) | ~20 minutes | – |
| Bake (2x) | – | 15 minutes |
| Cool & Decorate | ~10 minutes | 35 minutes |
In about 2,5 hours you will be welcomed by a nice vanilla and almond aroma of Vanillekipferl.
Info: The work and waiting times for the shape and bake steps are per baking plate full of Vanillekipferl. You will have dough for 2 full baking plates. So while one batch of biscuits is baking in the oven, you can already prepare the next one.
Total ingredients
| Weight | Ingredient |
| 250 g | All-purpose flour |
| 210 g | Butter |
| 80 g | White sugar |
| 2 packages (~16 g) | Vanilla sugar |
| 100 g | Ground almonds |
| 1x | Vanilla bean |
| 100 g | Powdered sugar |
Difficulty
A simple recipe with just a handful of steps. After you have shaped the first few biscuits you will get the hang of it and are good to go.Baking tools
As usual for making cookies you are good to go with just a hand mixer, bowl, baking plate and parchment paper. A second baking plate can come in handy to place the next cookies on it while the other one is in the oven.
Check out our baking tools section to see what we are using.
Steps
1. Mix
| Weight | Ingredient |
| 210 g | Butter (softened) |
| 80 g | White sugar |
| 2 packages (~16 g) | Vanilla sugar |
| 1x | Vanilla bean |
| 100 g | Ground almonds |
| 250 g | All-purpose flour |
- Mix all of the mentioned ingredients together with a hand mixer
- Start with the softened butter and sugars
- Scrape the insides of the vanilla bean and add them to the mixture
- As the last step add the all-purpose flour and grounded almonds step by step and mix until well combined
- Tip: If you take your butter directly out of the fridge, you can cut the butter in smaller chunks into a bowl and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds
2. Rest
- Store the dough sealed in the fridge at 4-6°C (39,2-42,8°F) for 30 minutes
3. Shape
- Take the dough out of the fridge
- Seperate 50% of it and place it on the surface
- Place the other half back into the fridge
- Here is a short guide on how to get the dough in the typical crescent-shape:
- Shape the dough into a strip with a diameter of about 4 cm
- Cut the strip into small pieces of about 1-2 cm
- Take a piece of dough between your hands and roll them to small strips creating a cone that tapers at the end
- Place the shaped cookies on a baking plate covered with parchment paper
- Tip: We went for smaller cookies and cut the dough into pieces of about 1 cm per piece
4. Bake
- Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F) for ~20 minutes with circulating heat function
- Put the first baking plate with the biscuits in the oven and bake for 15 minutes
- When the margins start to get brown the biscuits are ready
- After baking take them out immediately
- Tip: While your first batch of cookies is in the oven, you can start shaping the next ones
5. Cool & Decorate
- Let your biscuits cool down for 5 minutes on the baking plate
- Afterwards powder the still warm biscuits with a good amount of powdered sugar
- As the last step let the Vanillekipferl cool down further for another 30 minutes
Conclusion
Taste
Those classic and traditional biscuits taste sweet, soft and you can tell there is vanilla and almonds in the dough.
The Vanillekipferl melt in your mouth and are a perfect addition when spending a cozy afternoon in front of the fireplace.
Enjoy baking and have a wonderful Christmas time!
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