To affirm that they are the most typical Christmas cookies in the German countries would be too daring, since the variety of platzchen, kekse Y getzli that come out of the ovens in Advent times in these countries is almost endless. Despite everything, the vanilla crescents either vanillekipferl They are, without a doubt, one of the most popular. And also one of the easiest and most delicious.
Actually in Switzerland they are better known as vanillehörnchenBecause the Swiss are -we are, something touches me- a bit special. The name matters little; both terms refer to their way of little horn or crescentalso linked to how they are known in these countries to their varieties of croissant, different from the typical French croissant.
Although the canonical recipe is made with vanilla, as its name suggests, and usually uses ground almonds, there are variants with other ground nuts, the hazelnut the most widespread alternative, in addition to the gourmand variant of chocolate. It is an exquisite cookie, smooth texturewith its unmistakable butter flavor, so it is worth investing a little more in a quality brand.
The dough itself is not very sweet, but it makes up for it with the icing sugar coating. We do not recommend skipping this step, which must also be done hot, so that a layer of sugar remains attached to the pasta once it cools.
If we want some cookies something firmer and crispier, we will use the cold butter, cut into small cubes, working it with a robot, by hand or with rods, with the flour and sugar. If we use it at room temperature to cremate, they will be softer and will expand a bit when baked.
In the second case, beat the tempered butter with a stick mixer or the paddle in a Kitchen Aid-type robot together with the 80 g of sifted icing sugar, several minutes until obtaining a smooth consistency. soft cream. Add the vanilla and beat a little more.
Add the flour, the ground almonds and the salt, and mix until you have a homogeneous mass without lumps. Divide in two and wrap in plastic film forming two tight rolls about 5 cm in diameter. Chill in the fridge for about two hours, or overnight.
Prepare two baking trays with non-stick parchment paper. To get cookies that are as identical as possible, weigh the rolls without the plastic and divide by the number of units that they love each other; we get about 38, but it can be more if they get smaller.
Leaving the other dough in the fridge, cut portions of the weight obtained, knead lightly forming rolls and shape crescents. Place them slightly apart on the trays. Cool for 15 minutes in the fridge while the oven is preheated to 180ºC, with heat above and below without air.
Bake one tray at a time for about 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden, they should not brown too much. Meanwhile, mix the vanilla sugar with the icing sugar and prepare a sieve or strainer. Wait two minutes out of the oven and cover generously with the icing sugar sieved while the cookies are still hot.
The best recipes of Direct to the palate (Cooking)
Tasted in moderation, and depending on the size, one or two cookies will brighten up the after-dinner meal accompanying a full-bodied espresso coffeea spicy infusion or also the typical glühwein or Christmas mulled wine. It pairs wonderfully with a glass of sweet wine from Jerez or Port, even to finish off the glass of red wine that we have had at dinner.
More Christmas recipes
Direct to the Palate we love these parties and we have thousands of recipes for you to be sure of your Christmas meals. Do not miss our special with the 215 best Christmas recipes and 16 special menus. and if you need ideas for specific dishesHere’s a good starting point:
In DAP | How to make a gingerbread house for Christmas, easy spiced cookie recipe
In DAP | Stollen recipe, the sweet German Christmas bread that deserves to compete with panettone (and is much easier)
