Vanilla Crescent Cookies Recipe In Two Variants

Author:
is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.

At this point I will show you my vanilla crescent recipe.

I love the Advent season!

When the wind is blowing cold outside and I can bake delicious biscuits for the family in the warm oven inside.

This is pure pre-Christmas joy.

When the delicate scent of the delicious pastries fills the room, the first curious people come running into your bakery and want to snack – who can blame them?

But we’re not quite there yet… That’s why we two master bakers want to start baking now.

I wish you a lot of fun and good luck!

1. Recipe Vanilla Crescents

Now we want to bake fine! Step-by-step photos will help you prepare.

Vanilla crescents

Baked, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt.

Servings 50
Calories 59
Total Time 75 Min.
Preparation Time 15 Min.
Cook Time 0 Min.

Simple instructions for baking vanilla crescents yourself.

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4.92 from 1325 ratings

Vanilla crescent recipe picture
Vanilla Crescent Recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

Ingredients

For the dough

200 g butter (vegan: margarine)
100 g almond flour
250 g flour (or gluten free flour)

For turning and dusting

6 EL Icing sugar / powdered sugar

For the dough

1 Piece vanilla beans

For turning and dusting

2 Pack vanilla sugar

For the dough

1 Pinches primal salt

Instruction

Ingredients vanilla crescent batter
The vanilla crescent dough ingredients at a glance.

Provide ingredients

Prepare the ingredients for the dough in the kitchen.

Squeeze the vanilla bean flat
Squeeze the vanilla bean flat.

Vanilla bean

Flatten or flatten the vanilla pod with the back of a knife.

Scrape out the vanilla bean
Scrape out the pulp from the vanilla bean

Halve vanilla bean

Halve the vanilla bean with a sharp knife.

Vanilla pulp on the tip of a knife
Vanilla pulp on the tip of a knife

Vanilla pulp

Scoop out the pulp of the vanilla bean.

to sift flour
to sift flour

Sift flour

Sift the flour into a large baking bowl.

Sift powdered sugar
Sieve the icing sugar as a dough ingredient

Powdered sugar

Sift the icing sugar into the flour in the bowl.

Dry ingredients for the vanilla crescent dough
Dry ingredients for the vanilla crescent dough in the baking bowl

Prepare dough ingredients

Add the ground almonds to the remaining sifted ingredients in the bowl.

Add butter to dough ingredients
Add softened butter to dough ingredients.

Add butter

Add the softened butter to the dough ingredients.

Add salt to the ingredients
Add salt to the ingredients

Add salt

Add some salt to the dough ingredients.

Vanilla pulp on butter close-up
Vanilla pulp on butter close-up

Add vanilla pulp

Add the vanilla pulp to the dough ingredients.

Mix the vanilla crescent batter
Mix the vanilla crescent batter

Stir dough

Mix the dough ingredients with the hand mixer, kneading attachments.

Stirred vanilla crescent batter in bowl
Stirred vanilla crescent batter in bowl

Batter control

The mixed dough forms small, fine lumps.

Knead the vanilla crescent dough
Knead the vanilla crescent dough with your hands

Knead dough

Continue kneading the dough with your hands.

Vanilla crescent dough in the baking bowl
Kneaded vanilla crescent dough in the baking bowl

Shape dough

Form a ball of dough.

Ball-shaped vanilla croissant dough on cling film
Dough shaped into a ball for vanilla crescents on cling film

Wrap dough

Place the smooth dough on cling film.

Foil-wrapped vanilla croissant dough
Foil-wrapped vanilla croissant dough

Dough rest

Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175°C hot air.

Form the dough roll
Form several rolls of dough.

Dough rolls

Form several even rolls of dough from the dough.

Portion dough
Portion dough

Portion dough

Cut even slices from the rolls of dough and divide the dough into portions.

Form rolls for vanilla crescents
Form rolls for vanilla crescents

Shape rolls

Form the dough portions into oblong sausages.

Shaped vanilla crescent
Shaped vanilla crescent on the wooden board

Form crescents

Shape the sausages into crescents.

Form vanilla crescents
Form vanilla crescents

Shape tips

You can make the croissants more rounded or more pointed.

Put the shaped vanilla crescents on the baking tray in the oven
Put the shaped vanilla crescents on the baking tray in the oven

Bake Crescents

Cover the baking tray with baking paper and place the raw croissants on it.

Put the croissants in the oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes at 170°C.

Sift powdered sugar for vanilla crescents
Sieve the icing sugar for the vanilla crescents.

Sift powdered sugar

Finely sift the icing sugar into a wide bowl to roll the croissants.

Baked vanilla crescents from the oven
Take the baked vanilla crescents out of the oven.

Remove Crescents

Take the baked croissants out of the oven.

Roll the vanilla croissants in powdered sugar
Roll the hot vanilla crescents in powdered sugar.

Sugaring Kipferl

Place the hot croissants in the icing sugar and roll.

Vanilla crescents while sugaring and wrapping
Vanilla crescents while sugaring and wrapping

Cool Kipferl

Place the croissants on paper to cool.

Vanilla crescents in a tin can
Freshly baked vanilla crescents in a tin can

Pack Kipferl

After cooling down, pack the croissants in tins and place several layers of paper.

Serve vanilla crescents
Serve vanilla crescents

Serve

Serve the vanilla crescents as needed.

I wish you a merry Christmas time.

Video

2. Nutritional Information

3. Tips For Perfect Vanilla Crescent

My five most important tips for your perfect Kipferl:

  1. Be sure to use fresh vanilla for the batter!
    Vanilla sugar is practical, but the fine aroma from the pulp of the vanilla pod beats the industrial product by far.
    You can even put the scraped pods in a sugar bowl with fine sugar and “harvest” homemade vanilla sugar after a few days.
  2. Eggs are not required.
    It is a shortcrust pastry that can do without eggs.
    If you like eggs, use only the yolk.
  3. Sift the flour for the preparation.
    Yes, please sift the flour…
    What we sometimes save on when making cakes is essential for the cookie crescents!
    This is the only way to achieve the fine consistency of the dough.
  4. Leave the dough wrapped in cling film in the fridge for at least one hour.
    Top confectioners and star chefs leave the biscuit dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more to improve the taste.
  5. After baking, roll the croissants in the icing sugar/vanilla sugar mixture while they are still lukewarm.
    In this way, the icing sugar adheres optimally.
Scrape out the vanilla bean
Scrape out the pulp from the vanilla bean
to sift flour
to sift flour
Vanilla crescents in powdered sugar
Hot vanilla crescents in powdered sugar

4. Variant Vegan Vanilla Crescents

I bake my croissants in the traditional way. That’s why I don’t want to withhold the vegan version from you.

Here is the modification of the list of ingredients for you (amount for about 40 biscuits):

For the dough

For pollination

5. Baking Secrets For Vanilla Crescents

First of all, I would like to ask you a question 🙂 Can you fall in love instantly? The answer is yes, in these vanilla crescents!

What makes these tender vanilla croissants so irresistible?

Vanilla , ground almonds , flour , butter , sugar and a little salt make up the incredibly delicious mixture.

A good 100 years ago, some of the ingredients mentioned were difficult to obtain and expensive.

Vanilla pods were almost weighed in gold.

Only nobles and nobles could afford the luxury of such biscuits.

Nowadays we are luckier and everything is wonderfully available for us in the supermarket.

A piece of Christmas too, right?

Digression on vanilla – our main ingredient:

Our Vanilla feel-good spice comes from the pulp of the fermented pods of the Vanilla orchid genus.

Originally, the spice vanilla comes from Mexico and Central America.

Vanilla is now also grown in other places.

The Bourbon vanilla from Réunion – formerly Île Bourbon – is well known.

Vanilla crescents, popular biscuits at Christmas time, are also a delicious tea biscuit all year round!

Baking recommendation from chef Thomas Sixt
Butter and vanilla bean with dough ingredients
Butter and vanilla bean with dough ingredients in baking bowl
Vanilla pulp on the tip of a knife
Vanilla pulp on the tip of a knife

6. The Best Way To Store Homemade Vanilla Crescents

I prefer to store my biscuits in a cookie jar made of tin (glass or ceramic also works), which I line with baking paper .

Place a piece of paper between each layer of croissants . That way the cookies don’t get soggy.

Hide the tin with the vanilla crescents really well… once the pack has discovered the loot, you have to bake it fresh!

Vanilla crescents while sugaring and wrapping
Vanilla crescents while sugaring and wrapping
Vanilla crescents in a tin can
Freshly baked vanilla crescents in a tin can

7. Other Recommendations

Comments, Cooking Questions and Answers

4.92 from 1325 ratings

Below you can write to me directly.
Please don’t forget the star rating on the recipe, 5 stars means you liked it!

  • Hi Thomas!

    These are pretty great cookies and they taste like my grandmother made them.

    The family recipe has unfortunately disappeared and I have searched for a new one.

    The cookies turned out quite fine.

    Thank you so much for this!

    Reply

    • Hi Berry,

      Thanks for the positive Cookie Feedback!

      Greetings Thomas

      Reply

  • Hello Thomas,

    we chose your baking recipe for our baking together and spent a whole afternoon with it.

    The cookies turned out very well, shaping the moons takes some patience.

    Overall we are super satisfied and happy to have full cookie jars!

    Greetings from Mary, Lilu and Mera – the girls baking gang 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Gang 🙂

      a very nice feedback! thank you very much greetings Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Thomas,

    This is 🙂 Great recipe. I love your photos and blog.

    I baked my cookies last week. Unfortunately, they were eaten up very quickly.

    Today I'm going to make a few more.

    Greetings Shenna

    Reply

    • Hello 🙂

      thanks for your feedback, nice to read, I have also to go to the bakery again, the cookies just taste too good…

      I wish you the best of luck!

      Kind regards Thomas

      Reply

  • Hello Thomas!

    Fine and Excellent! For the first time they worked for me!!!

    Thanks for the recipe 🙂 Greetings Erik

    Reply

    • Hello Erik, thank you, I was happy about your message! Kind regards Thomas

      Reply

  • Hey Thomas,

    Its a great baking instructions for fine cookies and the photos look delicious, thank you very much for this great tutorial!

    Reply

    • Hello Luu,

      🙂

      thanks for your confirmation and nice line!

      Have fun and a good time 🙂

      Kind regards Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Chef Thomas Sixt!

    Love your Blog! It´s culinary heaven 🙂

    For me the best recipe I found!

    Tried a few, I'll stick with yours!

    Great taste, great consistency – for me the perfect recipe!

    In addition, the dough is very easy to work with.

    I also chilled it for 24 hours. Thanks! Su

    Reply

    • Hello Su,

      Great to read from you 🙂

      thank you for your nice Feedback.

      This makes me happy! I wish you continued success with the Vanillekipferl 🙂

      Greetings Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Thomas!

    I love this wonderful photos from your kitchen!

    This is a very good guide and made me happy.

    I misplaced my baking book and now I started with a new one.

    Love to write the good things in a book for the kitchen.

    the self-baked cookies according to your recipe tasted great.

    ***** Recommendation… THX

    Reply

    • Hi Melly,

      THX for this great Feedback.

      I hope your older cookbook will find the way back to you 🙂

      Greetings Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Thomas!

    Great blog and perfect presentation!

    I tried your instructions yesterday and baked the small cookies.

    From preparing the dough to baking and the sugar bath, everything worked out great.

    Turned out delicious 🙂

    Stars **** for you and THX

    Reply

    • Hi!

      Perfect, great 🙂

      Thank you for your praise and feedback.

      That makes me happy!

      Greetings Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Chef Thomas,

    Thanks for this great guide to perfect cookies!

    Mine are already in the cookie jar 😍😘😄

    Must be Carefully with kids because they like your cookies!

    BR Stell

    Reply

    • Hi Stell!

      Great to read from you!

      Thank you for your compliment… I'm glad 🙂

      I wish you lots of fun baking cookies again!

      Greetings Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Thomas,

    Your food blog is really successful!

    I like your recipes and the photos.

    My husband is a total vanilla crescent fan and I bake them every two months throughout the year.

    I've already tried quite a few recipes. Yours turned out particularly well and the cute bows are extra good.

    The last cookies have just been used up and I'm going to bake new ones this weekend.

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Greetings Luciana

    Reply

    • Hi Luciana!

      For me, vanilla crescents are the perfect tea cookies.

      I also bake the cookies several times a year and not only at Christmas.

      It is a great pleasure for me when the recipe is well received.

      Kind regards Thomas

      P.S. Wish you continued success in baking°!

      Reply