Vanillekipferl
BakeNov to Dec
Vanillekipferl suit anyone who wants to take home the biscuit Austrians bake every Christmas, and the trade-off is how fragile they are in a suitcase. Pack them in a tin.
Vanillekipferl are small crescents of shortcrust made with flour, butter, sugar and ground almonds, or walnuts, hazelnuts or peanuts depending on the region. Bakers roll the dough into finger-length logs, bend them into crescents and bake them, then toss them in icing sugar flavoured with vanilla seeds while they're still warm or once they've cooled. A little egg yolk in the dough makes them extra short.
German Wikipedia says they come from Vienna and are known across the old Austro-Hungarian lands, from Austria, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary to South Tyrol, Bavaria, Poland and Romania. A legend says Viennese bakers first made them in 1683 to mark the defeat of the Ottoman army, shaping them after the crescent on the Ottoman flag.
Worth knowing
- Carry them home in a tin; the shortcrust breaks at a touch.
Quick answers about Vanillekipferl
What are Vanillekipferl?
Vanillekipferl are Austrian Christmas biscuits: small crescents of shortcrust made with butter and ground almonds, rolled in vanilla icing sugar.
How do you order Vanillekipferl?
Buy them by the bag from a bakery, and ask for the nut you want, since bakers use almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts.
When is Vanillekipferl in season?
Vanillekipferl: Christmas baking in Austria, Bavaria and the old Habsburg lands, made in Advent and kept through the holidays.