Vanillekipferl – Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Makes: about 30 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup almonds, ground
1 egg
a pinch of salt
4 tablespoons icing sugar, to dip the cookies in after baking
1 vanilla pod

Directions

Slice the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the black seeds with the back of a knife. Combine flour, sugar, butter, almonds and vanilla. Remove the dough and knead until smooth. Form into a long round shape, about 1 1/2 inches thick, and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge, so it doesn’t break when being shaped into cookies.

Cut the dough into 1/2 inch slices. Roll each slice into a piece 3 inches long, and bend it into a crescent shape. Place on baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4 for 8 to 10 minutes.

After baking, dip the hot cookies into icing sugar or vanilla sugar, taking care not to break them. Store in a tightly-sealed cookie tin.