Vienna Vanilla Kipferl

These buttery vanilla nut cookies are irresistibly delicious ​

The city of Vienna has a wonderful coffeehouse culture. Here you will find plates with scrumptious little sweet morsels made with the fruit of the season on a delicate crust topped with Schlag (whipped cream), rich pieces of cake, layers upon layers of nuts and chocolate, cream and caramel. The Kipferl is a crescent-shaped pastry, an ancestor of the croissant going back to the 13th century. The Vanillakipferl in this recipe is a nutty, crunchy, buttery cookie that will melt in your mouth. Shaped into small crescent moons and rolled in powdered sugar (flavored with vanilla), they make an irresistible treat. My friend Inga has baked these cookies for years and shared them with my family. They are so good that I decided to put the recipe on my blog to share with all of you. Let me know if you like them as much as I do. ​

These cookies have a rich buttery, nutty flavor ​

I used regular powdered sugar mixed with a store bought package of vanilla sugar for the dusting of the cookies . You can just use powdered sugar or you can make your own vanilla sugar by placing 1and1/2 to 2 cups of sugar in a  pint jar. Split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and with a tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds into the jar with the sugar. Add the vanilla pod to the jar and shake well. Let stand for a few days, shaking the jar occasionally. You now have vanilla flavored sugar. Grind the sugar mixture in a food processor to make powdered sugar. ​

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Ingredients:

(Makes about 50 cookies)

1/2 cup blanched, lightly toasted almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 cups flour, sieved
2 egg yolks 
14 Tbs. chilled butter cut into small pieces
1/3 cup sugar 
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract


1/2 cup powered sugar
or
vanilla sugar

Directions:

Grind the nuts in a food processor. Add the sieved flour, egg yolk, sugar, butter, vanilla extract and pulse until the ingredients are mixed. Put the dough on a clean surface and using the palm of your hand, combine the mixture and shape it into a flat disk. Cover with plastic  wrap and chill in the refrigerator for two hours or overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Shape the dough into small crescent moons on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes until the edges begin to lightly brown.
Carefully (they break easily) roll the cookies in powdered sugar. Store the cookies in a covered tin, and they will taste better after a couple of days. 

Adapted from a German recipe 
by sunnycovechef.com