It’s that time of year again! Besides decorating your tree, baking Christmas cookies has to be one of the most exciting parts of the season. There are the fancy Christmas cookies, the ones you use to impress your family and friends with, and then there are the simple yet delicious ones. You know, the ones your Grandma used to make that now remind you of Christmastime during your childhood.

For me, one of those cookies is Vanilla Almond Crescents, or Vanillekipferl, as they are known in Germany. The buttery, crumbly, texture combined with the flavor of real vanilla bean and almonds makes these cookies to die for. If you don’t have these at the top of your Christmas cookie list, you might want to change that. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients


  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup almond flour

  • 2 sticks Challenge Unsalted Butter, room temperature

  • 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

  • 1 vanilla bean

Directions

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 340°F and place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

  • 2

    Knead the butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, flour, almond flour and the inside of half of the vanilla bean until well-mixed and smooth.

  • 3

    Place dough in fridge for about 1 hour (can be left in fridge up to 2 days before making cookies).

  • 4

    Take out dough and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 mins.

  • 5

    Shape crescents and place on a cookie sheet.

  • 6

    Bake for about 20 mins, the should only become slightly golden at the bottom but stay pale at the top.

  • 7

    Take them out and let stand for about 1-2 minutes.

  • 8

    Mix the remaining half of the vanilla bean with about 1 cup powdered sugar and dust the cookies as long as they are still hot (helps the sugar to stick).

  • 9

    Store in a tight container for up to 2 weeks.