Vegan Vanillekipferl (German Vanilla Crescent Cookies)

Are you looking for delicious vegan Christmas cookies? Today, I am presenting you with a vegan spin on one of my favorite Christmas cookies: the Vanillekipferl. This recipe is a vegan version of a cookie that has been loved in my family for generations. They are simple to make, burst of Christmas flavor, and work great as a vegan recipe.

What are Vanillekipferl:

Vanillekipferl is a traditional Christmas cookie in Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. To me, these cookies capture the Christmas feeling like no other. A simple vanilla-infused shortcrust dough coated in vanilla-flavored powdered sugar after baking. What makes them so special is the delicious combination of intense vanilla flavor and hazelnuts. The shortcrust dough is made with substantial amounts of ground hazelnuts, giving the cookies a delicious depth of flavor.

Vegan Vanillekipferl Ingredients:

• Flour Type 450
• Powdered sugar
• White sugar
• Vanilla sugar
• Plant-based butter
• Ground hazelnuts
• Salt

The ingredient list for these vegan Vanillekipferl is short. 450-type flour works best for this type of dough. In combination with the ground hazelnuts, it gives the cookies their delicious crumbly texture. Adding both powdered and plain white sugar gives the cookies their addictive texture.

How to make Vegan Vanillekipferl:

Making vegan Vanillekipferl is super straightforward. Firstly, we will prepare the shortcrust dough. After resting the dough overnight, we can shape our cookies. Once shaped, we will bake our vegan Vanillekipferl. Finally, we will give them a generous dusting with vanilla-infused powdered sugar.

Making the Vegan Shortcrust Dough:

To make the dough, we can prepare our ingredients a little bit. Let your butter substitute warm up outside the fridge so it is nice and soft. I’d recommend going with that soft texture and not molten. Next, pass the powdered sugar for the dough through a sieve so there are no lumps.

Add the flour, soft vegan butter substitute, powdered sugar, plain sugar, vanilla sugar, ground hazelnuts, and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Combine the ingredients well and work the dough for 10-15 minutes until well combined.

Resting the Dough:

Once the dough is ready, divide the dough into two equal servings. I made three today as I scaled the ratios up a bit, as we are having a big cookie-baking session with the family coming up! Roll the dough into a sausage shape with about 5 cm / 2 inch diameter. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably overnight.

Forming the Vegan Vanillekipferl:

Slice your dough sausage into slices. Next, cut each of these slices in half. Gently press the slices against the curved side of a glass to give the Vanillekipferl their distinct shape. Once shaped, place each of the Vanillekipferl on parchment paper on your baking tray. Once your baking tray is full, bake them in a preheated oven at 175° C or 350° F for 10 minutes. Make sure to give the Kipferl some space as they will gain a little bit of size.

Coating the Vanillekipferl in Delicious Vanilla Sugar:

Firstly, combine the vanilla sugar, white sugar, and powdered sugar. After taking the Vanillekipferl out of the oven, give them a generous dusting with powdered sugar while still warm. You can either bathe the warm cookies in the sugar mixture or dust the cookies by passing the sugar mixture through a sieve. Tossing the cookies will give them a more even coating and get more of the nice sugar mix to stick. Dusting them will look nicer and be a bit less sweet. If you toss the cookies in the sugar, be careful, as the warm Kipferls easily crumble and break.

If planning to package these delicious vegan Vanillekipferl, let them cool completely before sealing them in a jar or box of choice. I recommend separating the layers of cookies by layering parchment paper in between.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious vegan Vanillekipferl recipe. My family and I cannot get enough of these cookies. Christmas season truly starts when having the first of these. I hope you enjoy them, and let me know what you think in the comments.

Some more Recipe inspirations:

• Braised red cabbage
• Vegan shortbread cookies
• Easter puff pastry cookies
• German baked apples
• Simple vegan chocolate cookies
• Vegan schmalzgebäck recipe

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