Made with just butter, all purpose flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract, these traditional almond crescent cookies (Austrian kipferl cookies) are easy to prepare and one of my all-time favorite holiday cookies!
1teaspoonvanilla bean pasteor 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½teaspoonpure almond extract
Rolling Sugar
1cup (120 g)powdered sugarsifted
½teaspoonground cinnamonor ground cardamom
Instructions
Combine all of the cookie dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Slowly combine over low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed, until the mixture comes together and forms a dough. It will be fairly crumbly and dry at first, but will become smooth as it mixes.
Bring the dough together with your hands. Divide in half. Working with one dough half at a time, roll the dough into a roughly 1-inch wide log.
Use a knife to divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces (roughly 1-inch x 1-inch in size).
Roll each piece into a 4-inch log, then shape into a crescent moon shape, slightly tapered at each end. Transfer the shaped cookies to a parchment lined sheet pan (or other flat surface temporarily, if one will not fit in your refrigerator), setting them apart by an inch. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or until firm.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center position. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown, but they will be mostly pale in color.
Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan on a cooling rack for 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the sifted powdered sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Gently roll the still warm cookies in the powdered sugar mixture. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Once the cookies have cooled completely, use a fine-meshed sieve to dust the cookies with the remaining powdered sugar mixture.
Store cookies in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature for up to a week or longer.
Video
Tips for Success:
chilling the shaped cookies prior to baking helps prevent spreading during baking and will maintain the shape of the cookie, so don’t be tempted to skip this step!
adapt and infuse these cookies to your liking: add citrus zest, other ground spice blends (ground cardamom is a wonderful option!), or drizzle with chocolate