Christmas Baking
Vanillekipferl With Walnuts: Buttery Crescents That Melt in Your Mouth – One Bowl, 30 Minutes
Tender vanillekipferl made with ground walnuts, butter and one egg, rolled in vanilla powdered sugar while still warm.
NutritionApproximate, per serving
Instructions
In a bowl, mix the softened butter with the whole egg. You do not need to whip it until fluffy; just stir them together with a spoon.
Add the vanilla sugar and the powdered sugar. Mix well again so the flavors come together.
Stir in the ground walnuts until they are worked into the butter mixture.
Add the sifted flour last. Stir with a spoon first, then knead by hand into a compact dough that does not stick.
Divide the dough in two and roll each half into a rope. Cut the ropes into small pieces and shape them into crescents (by hand or with a small cutter).
Place the crescents on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 350°F (180°C, convection setting) for about 12 to 15 minutes. Watch them: they should be pale pink-gold, not brown!
While still warm (not hot), roll the crescents in a bowl of powdered sugar.
- Use good-quality butter with about 82% fat if you can find it; margarine will not give the same tenderness.
- For extra vanilla flavor, mix crushed real vanilla bean into the coating sugar. Variations: swap the walnuts for blanched ground almonds, or dip the ends of the cooled cookies in dark chocolate instead of rolling them in sugar.