They were round drop cookies without any nuts. I'm not sure if Grandma just made them that way as a shortcut or if it was traditional shape. The cookies you mention sound delicious and I'd love to have that recipe. Thank you.
A drop cookie is unusual for an old world cookie. Most old world cookies are pansakenly rolled, cut, shaped, layered and filled. It’s heartbreaking when we lose those family recipes. I‘d give anything to have my grandma’s recipe box.
As I mention the book is very short on instructions since it is aimed at the advanced/professional baker. So I filled in a lot of the instructions. But the method is as it would be produced in a commercial kitchen.
Vanilla Kipferl
adapted from Franz Augustin
Vanilla Sugar
2 vanilla beans
20g confectioner’s sugar
100 g hazelnuts, finely ground (NOTE: toast and skin extra hazelnut to ensure you have 100g after grinding)
200 g unsalted European style butter, 65°F
60 g baker’s (superfine or caster) sugar
180 g all purpose flour
50 ml rum
confectioner’s sugar for coating
Slit vanilla beans lengthwise; with tip of knife scape vanilla pulp out of each bean and mix into confectioner’s sugar. Set aside
Preheat oven 350°F. Place hazelnuts on baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until skins begin to blister. Remove from oven and transfer hazelnuts to clean tea towel. Wrap tightly and let set 1 minute. Rub hazelnuts in towel to remove skins. Cool completely. Grind to fine flour for use. Weigh 100 g hazelnut flour
Whisk flour and finely ground hazelnut flour together, set aside
Measure out rum, set aside
Attach paddle attachment to stand mixer
Place butter, sugar, vanilla sugar in mixer bowl, beat med-high 2 minutes
Scrape sides and bottom of bowl
Beat med-high additional 2 minutes
Add flour and hazelnut mixture and rum
Mix until combined
Divide dough into three equal portions about 200 g each
Roll into logs and wrap in plastic wrap
Chill overnight in the refrigerator
TO BAKE
Preheat oven to 410°F (210°C)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Cut each log into 1” (2cm) thick slices and form into a crescent
Do not make too thin as thin cookies will burn
Place on baking sheet with taking care not to crowd
Bake until the edge is just lightly golden, about 10 minutes
Cool for 1 minute on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack
When completely cooled, dust with confectioner’s sugar
Photos from my pastry book
roll into logs and chill overnight
slice and shape into crescents
The unique flavor of kipferl is from the vanilla bean sugar and the addition of hazelnut nut flour in the butter cookie. The crescent shape is actually a Turkish (from the Ottoman Empire) symbol; the cookies was allegedly created by an Austrian baker after the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718) that gave the House of Habsburg (aka House of Austria) control of the Banat of Temeswar, which is essentially the region southeast of Austria which today makes up the countries around Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia. The Ottomans and Habsburgs were always battling it out for control of Southern Europe. The kipferl is loved for the vanilla bean sugar; but it’s the use of vanilla bean that also makes it so expensive that it is a special occasion cookie that is served on holidays and special occasions. Or when you go to tea. This particular style of kipferl was served at the Demel with tea.
The Austrian’s also have a crescent shaped bread roll called kipferl or kifil, which dates to the 13th century. Historian belive the kifli from the 13th century is the precursor to the croissant. But kifil dates to the 10th century where it was severed as a offering to the goddess Selene.
