Vanillekipferl recipe

Vanillekipferl is a famous Austrian crescent-shaped vanilla biscuit and this special recipe comes from our Deputy Food Editor's grandmother.

Vanillekipferl biscuits are an Austrian specialty also known as vanilla crescents. They are a great accompaniment to a cup of tea and if you shape them just right, they can hang on the handle of your teacup. Vanillekipferl biscuits are a little fiddly to make as there is a lot of shaping to do. These biscuits are traditionally eaten at Christmas but they can be enjoyed all year round.

Ingredients

• 175g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 175g plain flour
• 90g caster sugar
• 90g ground almonds
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• About 100g caster sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175C, Gas 4. Put all of the ingredients apart from the sugar for sprinkling into a food processor and blitz until it forms a dough. If you have time chill in the fridge for 10 mins, this will make the dough less sticky and easier to shape.  
2. Take lumps of the mixture and use your fingers to carefully roll into long sausages about 1 cm thick. Break into 8cm long strips and arrange these into crescents on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Leave ample space for spreading between them. You may need to cook them in batches. Cook for 8-10 mins but keeping a close watch as they have a tendency to burn in the blink of an eye.  
3. While the biscuits are still warm sprinkle over the sugar. If you have vanilla-infused sugar use this, otherwise caster sugar is lovely too. Once firm enough to handle transfer onto a cooling rack. When cool transfer to a tin.

Top tip for making Vanillekipferl:

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• To make vanilla sugar store caster sugar in an airtight jar with a vanilla pod. Over time the flavour of the vanilla will infuse with the sugar. If you have a pod that you have already scraped the seeds out for another recipe, this is a wonderful way to use the leftover pod
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• Though not traditional, you could also sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if you like
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Related features:

Vanilla cookies

Christmas cookies and biscuits

Easy chocolate chip cookies