Vegan Vanilla Kipferl: Soft Crescent Cookies Recipe

Vegan vanillekipferl — these classic Austrian/German Christmas cookies are simple to make, light, crisp and melt-in-the-mouth.

With a delicate vanilla-almond flavour, tender crumb and a snowy coating of powdered sugar, these crescents are a festive favourite.

Vanillekipferl are a traditional European Christmas biscuit that belong in every holiday tin. They take a little time to shape but are straightforward to make, and the result is irresistibly moreish.

What Are Vanillekipferl?

Vanillekipferl are small crescent-shaped shortbread cookies made with ground nuts and finished with vanilla-scented sugar. Originating in Austria, they are also popular in Germany and other parts of Europe as a festive treat.

Recipes vary between using almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts; this version uses ground almonds for a simple, authentic texture. Traditional vanillekipferl are made without egg, so they adapt easily to a vegan recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Plain flour: Regular all-purpose flour works best. I haven’t tested a gluten-free version.

Ground almonds: Essential for the traditional texture. In some countries this is sold as almond flour; ground hazelnuts can be used as an alternative.

Vegan block butter: Use a solid block-style vegan butter, not a spreadable tub. Spreadable spreads usually contain more water and can make the dough too soft and the cookies tougher. Brands like Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter are good choices.

Icing (powdered) sugar: Powdered sugar in the dough helps give a light, melt-in-the-mouth texture and is also used for the final coating.

Vanilla extract: A good-quality extract adds clean vanilla flavour; vanilla bean paste is an excellent substitute if you have it.

Vanilla sugar (optional): A traditional coating for extra vanilla aroma. See the next section for a quick method to make it yourself — if you don’t have it, plain icing sugar still works fine.

How to Make Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla sugar is commonly used across Europe to add gentle vanilla flavour to baked goods. If you can’t buy it, make your own by combining granulated sugar with vanilla bean seeds.

To prepare: blend 300 g granulated sugar with the seeds from one vanilla pod in a food processor until the sugar is finely scented and slightly finer in texture (between caster and powdered sugar). Store it in a jar with the scraped pod for continued flavouring.

If you don’t want to make vanilla sugar, the cookies are still delicious coated only in icing sugar.

Method — Making Vegan Vanillekipferl

(Full measurements and the printable recipe card are below.)

1. Combine the flour, ground almonds and icing sugar in a mixing bowl.

2. Add the cold, cubed vegan butter and vanilla extract. Work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and no lumps of butter remain.

3. Gather the mixture into a soft dough and knead just a couple of times until smooth. Wrap the dough and chill for a couple of hours until firm.

4. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces (about 16 g each) and roll each piece into a ball.

5. Roll each ball into a small log, taper the ends slightly, and form into a crescent. Lightly flour the surface if needed.

6. Arrange the crescents on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them apart. Pop the trays briefly in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan / 350°F / gas mark 4.

7. Bake for 12–15 minutes until the edges and undersides are lightly golden but the tops remain pale.

8. Mix the icing sugar and vanilla sugar (if using) in a wide shallow bowl. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then gently roll each warm crescent in the sugar mixture. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Top Tips

– Use a digital scale and metric measurements for consistent results — cups can be unreliable.

– Avoid overworking the dough; knead only until smooth to keep the cookies tender.

– Weigh or portion the dough for uniform crescents so they bake evenly.

– Chill the shaped crescents before baking to help them keep their shape and avoid spreading.

– Remove from the oven when the edges and undersides are lightly golden; the tops should remain pale to keep the delicate texture.

– Roll the cookies in sugar while still warm but cool enough to handle; they are fragile when hot and the sugar adheres best while slightly warm.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Store the baked vanillekipferl in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

The dough can be wrapped and kept in the fridge for up to three days. For longer storage, shape the crescents, freeze them on a tray until firm, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. Bake frozen crescents straight from the freezer, adding a minute or two to the baking time if needed.

Finished baked cookies also freeze well for up to three months; thaw at room temperature before serving.

More Vegan Christmas Cookies

• Vegan chocolate pistachio biscotti
• Vegan gingerbread biscotti
• Vegan biscotti with almonds and cranberries
• Vegan chocolate orange shortbread
• Vegan cranberry orange shortbread
• Vegan pecan snowball cookies
• Vegan nussecken
• Vegan linzer cookies
• Vegan shortbread fingers
• Vegan gingerbread cookies

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