Vanillakipferl (Vanilla Crescent Cookies)

These German shortbread cookies have been a favourite of mine ever since I was little.  The first cookies disappearing from the homemade cookie tin. My cousin Tina is an excellent baker and has been making a vegan version of these cookies just for me.

This is the recipe.  

I last prepared these cookies for a potluck at the 2022 HOTC Holiday Airstream Rally. 

There is some shockingly macabre history about these cookies.  These cookies that I so fondly think of as German Christmas cookies were developed after the Habsburg monarchy and the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Vienna in 1683.  The crescent moon shape of these cookies were to celebrate the military victory over the Turkish army.  

It's macabre to have a victory cookie for a territorial and religious war with so much bloodshed - the loss of 35,000 enemy soldiers alone.  

Merry friggin' Christmas, ya'll.  

This recipe makes about 30 cookies.

 

V A N I L L A K I P F E R L   

300 g All Purpose Flour

125 g Sugar

150 g Almond Flour

250 g Vegan Butter; cold 

For dusting:

Powdered Sugar

Vanilla Bean (or Vanillazucker)

First I combine all ingredients together by mixing it in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It is important to mix well so that no chunks of butter are left showing in the dough and the texture is even.

Next, I cover the mixing bowl with a plate and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 

When I'm ready to bake the cookies I use a cookie cutter to pinch off even amounts of dough so that my cookies will end up looking uniform in size. Shaping of this dough is not easy because it is so crumbly, but using the heat in the palm of my hands helps as I roll each piece between my hands until its the length of my finger.  I then fold it into the half moon shape and place it unto the cookie sheet. 

My oven does not take long to preheat, so I set the temperature to 375℉ when I'm almost done with all the shaping.

Depending on the size of the cookies and the oven used the cookies bake for about 10-12 minutes. After baking I heavily dust the powdered sugar on top while everything is still hot so that the sugar will stick. A fine mesh strainer sifter works perfectly for this purpose. Gently tab the sides and the powdered sugar will sprinkle out.

♡ Nina

(↓ Airstreams were all decorated and lit up for a charity campground parade at the HOTC Airstream Christmas Rally.  Such fun.)