Almond Vanilla Kipferl

When I first started making these cookies, this might have been the year I married my husband, he glanced at the cookies that were on the kitchen island and said "Wow, your cookies are really fancy! We never had these kind of cookies. Ours were plane sugar cookies or something with peanut butter or the same old macaroons." Once he tried them...well, lets just say I had to make a new batch the next day. Ever since then, he's declared them as his favorite cookies.

So far this week I've shared Chocolate Dipped Spritz Cookies & Espresso Meringue Kisses. Today I have something nutty to share with you. Almond Vanilla Kipferl.

This cookie originated in Austria but they are equally popular in Switzerland and Germany. I first had these in Germany when I went to my friends house after school and her mom had just made them that day. I remember the smell of walking into their house. They are even better after 2 days because they get softer and melt in your mouth. You can dip them into melted chocolate, just like the Spritz cookies.


Ingredients: 

• 1 egg
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups group almond
• 2 1/8 cups flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 7/8 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt and the flour. Cut in the butter or margarine, and mix in with your hands.

Add the confectioners' sugar, the egg, the vanilla sugar, and the ground almonds to the flour mixture. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into several parts. Make rolls that are approximately 1 inch thick. Cut the rolls into 1 inch pieces, and bend the pieces into the shape of a semicircle ( just like a croissant). Place the kipferl on a baking tray, and leave them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes. When done, remove kipferl carefully from the tray.

Sprinkle confectioners sugar to give the cookies a "snow dusted" look.