The holidays bring out the best pastries and cookies from every country. Having grown up in a very German household with parents who owned a European delicatessen, I am particularly fond of German holiday cookies. All of my favorites can be found in specialty stores that carry European products this time of year. But, as always, nothing beats homemade. And if I have the time to make homemade, especially during the holidays, I’m going to do it! These amazing cookies bring back great childhood memories, and are a perfect introduction to traditional German cookies. They literally melt in your mouth, are incredibly addictive, and are easy to make! Happy Holidays…Enjoy!
Add flour, powdered sugar, salt and ground almonds and mix to form dough.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Cut logs into slices of about 1-2 tablespoons in size, gently rolling each and shaping into a crescent.
Bake in the center of the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cookies will still be light in color when ready.
Using a small metal mesh strainer or sifter, sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cookies.
Vanilla Kipferl Holiday Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups flour sifted
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups butter
- 1 cup whole raw almonds ground (using a food processor is easiest!)
- ½ cup powdered sugar or vanilla sugar for dusting
- parchment paper
Instructions
Note: Prep time does not include the one hour of refrigeration before forming into crescents.
- Beat egg yolk, butter and vanilla using a mixer. Add flour, powdered sugar, salt and ground almonds and mix to form dough. Remove dough from bowl and shape into a disc or two logs. (I actually found rolling it into logs better for cutting even sized crescents.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut logs into slices of about 1-2 tablespoons in size, gently rolling each and shaping into a crescent. (They don't need to be perfect, no one will notice, they will be too busy eating them!)
- Place each crescent shaped cookie on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. (see pics above) Bake in the center of the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cookies will still be light in color when ready.
- Remove to a rack placed on top of another piece of parchment paper, using a small metal mesh strainer or sifter, sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cookies. (I prefer this method to rolling them in powdered sugar...you just don't get the same coverage) Allow to cool and Enjoy!
Excited to try these:) Thank you !!!
Thank you Kathleen! You are going to love them. They literally melt in your mouth. Enjoy!