Holiday Kipferl Cookie Recipes

HOLIDAY KIPFERL COOKIE

Steps:

• Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, granulated sugar and salt; pulse until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and water. Add to almond butter mixture, and pulse until dough forms. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until easy to handle, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 325°. Divide dough into fourths. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into an 8-in. circle. Sprinkle with pecans and cranberries; lightly press into dough. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide end; place point side down 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Curve ends to form crescents., Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Carefully roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container.

VANILLEKIPFERL

Steps:

• Stir all-purpose flour, almond flour, and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar together in a bowl. Add butter and egg yolks; knead by hand until a smooth dough forms.
• Divide dough into quarters and form each piece into a rectangle. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• Place 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar in a food processor. Cut each vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape seeds from each half with the back of the knife; add to the sugar. Pulse until seeds are evenly dispersed. Pour vanilla sugar into a shallow bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut 1 portion of dough into 6 equal pieces, keeping remaining dough chilled. Roll each piece evenly into a 1/2-inch-thick log on a lightly floured surface. Cut each log crosswise into 2-inch pieces and gently roll or pinch ends of each piece into points. Arrange cookies on the baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bottoms are lightly golden but tops are still pale, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes.
• Roll warm cookies in the vanilla sugar, brushing off excess sugar. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, baking in batches.

VANILLA KIPFERL

Steps:

• Beat butter and white sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add egg yolks to creamed butter mixture and beat until smooth. Mix flour and almonds together in a separate bowl; slowly stir into creamed butter mixture, kneading the dough toward the end until smooth. Place dough in an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Roll small pieces of dough into balls. Carefully roll each ball into a 2 1/2-inch rope; form into a crescent shape and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 3 minutes.
• Spread vanilla sugar into a shallow dish or pie plate. Lift cookies from baking sheet using a spatula and turn them, top-side down, into the vanilla sugar. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack.