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Delicate half-moon cookies that look like they’ve been covered in a blanket of fresh snow, crescent cookies are a classic Viennese treat—perfect for the holidays.
Viennese crescents, or Kipferl as they’re fondly known in Austria, are a holiday cookie with a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Shaped like whimsical half-moons, they look as though they’ve been dusted with fresh fallen snow. These cookies are cousins to snowball cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, and Russian tea cakes—all made simply with flour, butter, sugar, and ground nuts, yet each with its own unique flavor profile, making them all worth trying! In this simple crescent cookie recipe, adapted from Betty Crocker, almond flour is used to eliminate the need for chopping or grinding nuts—you can easily find almond flour in the baking or gluten-free aisle of most supermarkets. Perfect with a cup of coffee or as a festive addition to a holiday cookie tray, these crescent cookies are a delicious way to celebrate the holiday season.
What You’ll Need To Make Viennese Crescent Cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and granulated sugar.
Beat until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Add dry the ingredients.
Mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a crumbly mass. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes hour or up to several days.
Preheat oven to 350°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
For each cookie, use about 2 teaspoons of dough and shape it into a 2-inch long log. Gently bend each log into a crescent shape. If the dough is crumbly after chilling for more than 30 minutes, knead it slightly with your hands to make it more pliable. Space the crescents about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are pale on top and lightly golden on the bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Using a small fine sieve, dust the cookies all over with confectioners’ sugar. (Alternatively, you can gently roll the cookies in the confectioners’ sugar until coated.) Dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar again before serving, if you like.
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Viennese Crescent Cookies
Delicate half-moon cookies that look like they’ve been covered in a blanket of fresh snow, crescent cookies are a classic Viennese treat—perfect for the holidays.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup finely sifted/super-fine almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add dry the ingredients and mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a crumbly mass. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to several days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For each cookie, use about 2 teaspoons of dough and shape it into a 2-inch long log. Gently bend each log into a crescent shape. If the dough is crumbly after chilling for more than 1 hour, knead it slightly with your hands to make it more pliable. Space the crescents about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are pale on top and lightly golden on the bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a small fine sieve, dust the cookies all over with confectioners’ sugar. (Alternatively, you can gently roll the cookies in the confectioners’ sugar until coated.) Dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar again before serving, if you like.
