Christmas in Austria is synonymous with Vanillekiprferl. These little crescent shaped Vanilla and Walnut cookies are buttery, crumbly and they will make your home smell like delicious vanilla. Perfect right? It gets even better because they only need a few ingredients and they are super easy to make. Here is how you do it.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, vanilla sugar, salt and powder sugar. Give it a quick whisk and set aside until needed.
In a Stand Mixer, cream the room temperature butter using a pedal attachment. Once the butter is creamy add the Egg Yolks and cream for another 3-4 minutes. Start Timer 4 Minutes
While the stand mixer is whisking the butter on slow speed, add 2-3 tablespoons of the flour/walnut mixture at a time until all combined.
Now pop the dough mixture on a clingfilm membrane, wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes until firm, Start Timer 30 Minutes. Preheat your oven just before those 30 minutes are up and according to how long your oven needs to reach 180 C or 345 F.
Roll the cookie dough in to a sausage shape that's approximately 1.5 Inch or 4 centimetres in diameter. Then cut in to 1.5 cm or 1/2 inch slices. Roll the slices in to little balls and then roll between your palms to form a cylinder with pointy ends. Curve in to a crescent and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Leave a little distance between each cookie, they won't grow much but they will melt a little and widen. (not much)
Now place in the preheated oven for 4-5 minutes, you will know that the cookies are done when the pointy edges are a little brown. If your oven doesn't heat evenly, spin your baking tray around before the edges burn.Start Timer 5 Minutes
Vanilla Powder Sugar
Combine powder sugar and vanilla sugar in a small mixing bowl. Dip the cookies in to the powder sugar while still hot. This will make it stick better, you can then add a bit more when the cookies are done.