Vegan Vanillekipferl Cookies are a tender, buttery crescent cookie that originates from Austria. Find out how to make them below.
A traditional Austrian cookie
Vanillekipferl are small, crescent moon shaped biscuits that originate Austria but are now popular all across Europe, especially Germany. They are a shortbread like biscuit that are traditionally made with walnuts. Though, some variations (like this recipe) use almonds or even hazelnuts (like my Vegan Linzer Cookies).
Biscuits and cookies play an important role at Christmas time in Austria and Germany. If you visit during the festive season you will be amazed at the huge number of different cookies on offer and the wide range of shapes, sizes and flavours that they come in.
These Vegan Vanillekipferl Cookies are the perfect example of how you can enjoy traditional festive treats without having to resort to eating animal products.
How to make plant based buttery cookies
To make these Vegan Vanillekipferl super tender and buttery, you need to do two things. First, you need a good quality vegan block butter substitute. And secondly, you need to use the "rubbing in" method to make the dough.
Vegan butter
There’s are lots of non-dairy butter alternatives on the market. Flora is my favourite for a really rich, buttery taste but Naturli also gets rave reviews. Unfortunately you can't use spreadable vegan "butter". It has to be hard so that you can rub the fat into the flour.
To find out more about vegan baking, check out my big vegan baking guide.
The rubbing in method
The "rubbing in" method is simply rubbing the butter into the flour so that it forms a breadcrumb like texture. This is then combined with the remaining ingredients to make a "short" dough. A short dough means that there is a high proportion of fat to flour. The result is a tender, buttery biscuit that is crumbly when bitten into.
You can rub the fat into the flour by hand or using a food processor. If you use a food processor use the pulse function or you risk over processing it. If you do it by hand try to make sure you are nice and cool or the fat will melt.
How to shape crescent cookies
It's not as hard as you might think to make crescent shaped cookies like these Vegan Vanillekipferl Cookies.
Simply pinch off walnut size pieces of dough and roll them into 3 inch long sausages that are roughly the thickness of a finger. Then curl the sausage of dough into a crescent moon / "C" shape that tapers off at either end.
It's that easy!
The recipe
These cookies are perfect served alongside hot chocolate, a warm mug of coffee or a glass of glogg.
Vegan Vanillekipferl Cookies
Ingredients
- 225 grams non-dairy butter e.g. Flora+ or Naturli
- 275 grams plain flour
- 175 grams caster sugar
- 75 grams ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 2 tablespoon non-dairy milk if needed
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4 and line baking trays with grease proof paper.
- In a large bowl, rub together the butter and flour until it forms a breadcrumb like texture. (Alternatively pulse them gently in a food processor until the same texture is achieved).
- Add the sugar and almonds and stir to distribute evenly.
- Next add the vanilla paste and non-dairy milk and bring together into a crumbly but malleable dough.
- Pinch off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll into a sausage roughly the thickness of your finger. Curl the sausage into a 'C' shape and place on the baking tray.
- Repeat until you've used all of the dough.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for roughly 15 minutes or until just turning golden.
- Leave to call slightly before dusting with icing sugar.
Nutrition
More Christmas Cookies recipes
If you like this recipe then you'll love some of my other Christmas cookies. And, good news, they can all be made vegan!
For the full range of recipes including Lebkuchen, Florentines, Ginger Nuts and more, check out the Cookie and Biscuit Archive.
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