Vanilla Kipferl
Vanilla kipferl are almond Christmas cookies that are traditionally baked during the holiday season in eastern France. They are made with almond flour, which give them a crumbly texture, flavored with vanilla, and sprinkled with icing sugar.
I found this recipe on a blog about bredele (Christmas cookies from Alsace). Check out the original recipe in french here.
How to make these vanilla and almond Christmas cookies
In a bowl, mix the egg yolk with the sugars until combined (never pour the sugar into the egg yolk without mixing straight away as the sugar is going to “burn” the yolks).
In another bowl (you can either use your hands or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), sand the flour with the butter.
Add the yolks/sugar, along with the almond flour, and mix until a dough forms. Wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F – 175°C, and divide the dough evenly in 12 pieces. Kneed each of them quickly so that it’s easier to work with, and shape as crescents.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, the cookies should stay pretty white. Allow to cool down before sprinkling with icing sugar.
Store in a metal tin container for up to a couple of weeks.
More Christmas Recipes…
Vanilla kipferl
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp flour (125 g)
- ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp butter – room temperature (100 g)
- 3 tbsp sugar (40 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar (5 g)
- 1 egg yolk (20 g)
- ½ cup almond flour (50 g)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the sugars and the egg yolk until combined.
- In another bowl (or your stand mixer with the paddle attachment), sand the flour with the butter. Add the egg yolk/sugar mixture, along with the almond flour. Mix until a dough forms.Wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F – 175°C.
- Divide the dough evenly into 12 pieces, and kneed each of them briefly so that the dough isn’t crumbly anymore. Roll in the palm of your hand to shape as crescents, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Once cooled, sprinkle with icing sugar, and store in a metal tin container for up to a couple of weeks.
Notes
Always mix egg yolks with sugar straight away once they are together, if not, the sugar is going to “burn” the yolks and therefore, create a lumpy texture.
Vanilla sugar is commonly found in France. If you can’t find any where you live, you can make your own by scraping a vanilla pod in a container, filling it with sugar, and shaking it. You can also just simply use some vanilla paste/extract.
Calories are per two cookies (total calories for this recipe : 1,687).