These Villeroy & Boch holiday dishes and decorations are just so darn cute that we couldn’t resist the urge to bake (again)! The obvious cookie of choice was the Vanillekipferl. This ‘vanilla crescent’ originates in Austria, but is a favorite in Germany at this time of year.
Its delicate almond meal dough makes for a melt-in-your-mouth cookie. The crescents are bathed in powdered sugar whilst warm, creating a lovely, snowy effect. These will keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool room, but trust us, they won’t last that long.
Ingredients for about 60 cookies:
2-1/4 cups (280g) flour
1 cup (100g) almond meal
1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 cup (210g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or, the seeds of 2 vanilla beans
3/4 cup (100g) powered sugar for decoration
On a large work surface, mix the flour, almond meal, granulated sugar, salt, butter and vanilla bean paste. Start by rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients and pressing it all together. Once it starts to come together don’t over-knead it, you want to work it until it just starts to hold its shape.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and form into cylindrical rolls about 1-1/2 inches (2-3cm) in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 12 hours in the fridge.
After the dough has rested, preheat the oven to 325F(160C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the rolls into roughly 15 even pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage shape with tapered ends, and bend it to form a crescent. (Little hands are very good at this!) Bake them for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms and tips are lightly golden.
Whilst they are baking, put the powdered sugar into a shallow bowl. Place the warm
Vanillekipferl into the powdered sugar and gently turn them until they are covered. Once covered, move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper for up to 2 weeks in a cool room.
