What is Christmas without Christmas pastries? Vanillekipferln are one of the most eaten in Europe. And very easy to make.
A real surprise for me was to learn that they originally were made with walnuts. I never thought about nuts in the Vanillekipferln at all. Almonds don’t have an overwhelming own taste and are great for the vanilla flavour I would say. Hazelnuts are strong and in my opinion could cover the taste.
Originally they were invented in Vienna, Austria. They refer to the half moon in the Turkish flag. But what does Turkey have to do with Austrian cookies? In the 16th and 17th century Vienna was besieged by the Turks. And when they had to leave in 1683 bakers of Vienna invented the half-moon cookies and breads: Vanillekipferln and Croissants. The first official recipe has to wait another 200 years. In 1911 there was the first in an Austrian cookbook.
You can find them in Viennese coffee shops. But you will find them also in Poland, Hungary, and other eastern countries, and of course in Germany where they are a typical Christmas cookie. Especially during the 4 Advents you will be offered these – among other Christmas cookies.
They are very easy to bake and my gluten-free, paleo-friendly version is ready in a short time. I found the recipe in a magazine called Gluten Free. I changed only the butter into ghee and the dairy cream into coconut cream, used a little more flour and of course used another type of sugar, I used Xylitol. And, very important, I didn’t use vanille sugar but real bourbon vanilla bean paste.
Here is the Kipferl-Joy!
- 240 g all purpose paleo flour
- 50 g white almond meal
- 1/4 tsp fiber husk powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 220 g ghee (smooth)
- 60 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp bourbon vanilla bean paste
- 1 egg
- pinch pink salt
- 50 g coconut cream
- icing sugar for decoration
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl mix with a hand-mixer the ghee, salt and the sugar until creamy. Add the egg and then the coconut cream.
- Now add the flour by spoonfuls and mix until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Now put the kipferl-dough in a pastry tube, and on a baking sheet squeeze half rounds. You should get out 30 Vanillekipferln.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Don't let them get too dark!
- After a few minutes out of the oven sift the icing sugar on the top of the cookies and let them cool out completely on a cooling-rack.
You can store the Vanillekipferln in an air-tight container until Christmas.
They are perfect for a nice little gift, packed in a Christmas bag.
