Name: Vanilla Crescent Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: makes 60 cookies
Cuisine: Austrian
Ingredients: 40 g (3/8 cup) ground hazelnuts; 60 g (5/8 cup) ground walnuts; 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour; 1 pinch of salt; 200 g (7/8 cup) unsalted butter; 70 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar; 1 tbsp vanilla sugar; 100 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar; 2 tbsp vanilla sugar

Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Vanilla Crescent Cookies are not only good-looking, but they are also famous for their brittle texture and vanilla flavor. This recipe originates from Austria, and we made it our mission to find the best ones in Vienna this December. Funny enough, we didn’t find the best in Vienna but in a lovely town called Eisenstadt. These Vanilla Crescent Cookies are brittle and slightly crunchy, with a subtle nutty flavor and a soft, generous sugar coating. Exactly how we want them to be. Traditionally, we would bake these cookies for Christmas, but feel free to make them for other celebrations like birthdays, weddings, christenings, or baby showers.

Austrian classic cookie - Vanilla Crescent Cookies

These are the top reasons why we adore these cookies:

brittle, slightly crunchy, with a subtle nutty flavor and a soft generous sugar coating
the preparation is super simple
kids and adults adore them
a delicious homemade gift and you can easily transport them in your car
they keep well

Essential ingredients

These cookies are so easy to make; we only need seven simple ingredients! You can find the whole list of ingredients and methods below. But let's walk through the main steps together for easier preparation.

Hazelnuts - feel free to substitute ground hazelnuts with ground almonds. They make the cookies nutty and full of flavor.

Walnuts - use ground walnuts in this recipe. They create a beautiful nutty flavor.

Flour - use all-purpose flour or cake flour.

Butter - use unsalted butter at room temperature. We don't recommend using margarine.

Powdered sugar - we need it for the cookie dough and the generous coating.

Vanilla sugar - is essential, as we need it for the cookie dough and the coating. Make your own vanilla sugar if you can't find it in your country. You do this by adding half of the vanilla pod to a food processor with sugar. Blend into a combined mixture.

Storing

Feel free to store these cookies in your pantry. Place them in an airtight container or cookie box and keep them in your pantry for up to 3 weeks.

How to make Vanilla Crescent Cookies at home (video)

Check this short video to learn how to make Vanilla Crescent Cookies at home.

Next, try these cookie recipes

METHOD

make the dough

Add hazelnuts, walnuts, all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Stir to combine. Cut the butter into cubes and add to a separate bowl. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar to the butter and mix with an electric mixer fitted with the dough attachment or knead in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until just combined, not whipped. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine, then knead into a smooth dough with your hands. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with clingfilm, and place it in the fridge for one hour.
preparation

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 190 °C / 375 °F. Add powdered sugar and vanilla sugar to a small bowl. Stir and set aside. This is your coating.
shape

Take the dough from the fridge. Scoop a teaspoon (10g) of butter from the dough and shape it into a round ball. Then, shape it into a rope on your lightly dusted working surface. Shape into a crescent cookie. Place each cookie on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process until you get about 60 cookies. Leave enough space between them when baking.
bake

Place the cooking in the oven and bake for 13 – 15 minutes at 190 °C / 375 °F or until they are golden brown. When baked, take them from the oven, set them aside to cool, and then generously dust them with vanilla powdered sugar.

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Vanilla Crescent Cookies