I’ve got another recipe for you this week. This time it’s about my all-time favorite Christmas cookies – vanilla crescents, also known as Vanillekipferl.

You will need …

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour / 200 g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (what fits on the tip of a knife)
1/2 cup granulated sugar / 100 g sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla powder / 1 pouch vanilla powder
1 egg (medium)
1/2 cup softened butter (unsalted) / 125 g softened butter or margarine
2/3 cup ground almonds / 100 g ground almonds
1/2 cup icing sugar (for dusting)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla powder / 1 pouch vanilla powder (for dusting)

Time: 60 min.
Difficulty: medium

Preparations:
Preheat oven to 350 F (160-180 °C depending on your oven).
Lightly grease baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.

Directions:
Sift flour into a bowl and mix with baking powder. Add all other ingredients and mix until the dough is smooth. Roll some of the dough into a strip, about as thick as a pencil. Cut off pieces about 1 inch long (or 4-5 cm). Shape each piece into a crescent by pulling it into a semi-circle. Place on a baking sheet but at least 1/2 inch / 1 cm apart. Bake for about 10 min.

Mix icing sugar and vanilla powder for the dusting. Dust cookies with the mixture while they are still hot. Set them aside to cool, then dust them again.

Cookies will be good for about 2 weeks.

PS. While I don’t have my students make these cookies usually, because they don’t require any cookie cutters (which is only half the fun for my students), these cookies are definitely a favorite among both my western and Chinese friends.