Nothing speaks Christmas like these buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, vanilla almond crescent cookies, recreated from the German version of the same, also known as Vanillekipferl!!

Love gluten-free and low-carb baked goodies as I do? Then certainly check out these Keto cinnamon muffins, keto pumpkin cream cheese muffins, and gluten-free low-carb chocolate crinkle cookies.
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what is the meaning of the name Vanillekipferl?
Vanillekipferl describes German and Austrian shortcrust cookies that are normally baked during Christmas time. The dough is then formed into little crescents, which are then dusted with a mixture of powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.
The name Vanillekipferl is derived from the German name Kipferl, which means croissants or little horns (Hörnchen). Put together the name means little vanilla horns.
what is vanilla sugar (Vanillezucker)?
I had never heard of vanilla sugar until I came to Germany almost seven years ago. Vanilla Sugar (known as Vanillezucker in German) is a mixture of sugar and vanilla normally used to coat baked goods such as cakes. You can buy ready-made vanilla sugar from the supermarkets or stores or make your own.
Note: For this recipe, you will combine vanilla and powdered sugar then use it to coat the keto almond crescent cookies. You can easily to prepare your own vanilla sugar at home as follows:-
- Combine a cup of your preferred sweetener and two vanilla extracted from two pods (cut the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds). You can mix the sugar or sweetener in a bowl or combine using a food processor. Always store vanilla sugar in a suitable airtight containers in a cool and dry place, and use when required.
ingredients:
This is a summary for those who prefer to read about the recipe in the post. A printable recipe card is available at the bottom. Also, make sure to keep an eye on the useful recipe tips in this post.
You will need the ingredients below to make these keto almond crescents.
- Almond flour - the traditional recipe uses all-purpose flour but we will be using almond flour in order to keep the recipe gluten-free and low carb. Do not confuse almond flour with almond meal (read more about the two here).
- Butter or margarine - you will also use butter. Use margarine or vegan butter for a vegan option.
- Sweetener - we will be using a mix or powdered erythritol and xylitol in a 1:1 ratio. I would not recommend you to use regular granulated low carb sweeteners as they do not result in the best texture.
- Ground almonds - I like to grind my own almonds. I find it gives the cookies a better texture. To grind the almonds, start by removing the skin. To do this, soak the almonds for about 5 minutes in hot water then use your fingers to remove the skin. Spread the almonds on a baking tray and allow them to dry. Once dry, use your grinder or coffee grinder to process.
- Vanilla sugar - the cookies will be dipped in a mixture of powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. This is known as wälzen (roll or coat) in German. I personally prefer to sprinkle the powdered and vanilla sugar mix on top.
- Vanilla pod - this is optional but I would highly recommend you to use real vanilla pods instead of vanilla essence. The vanilla seeds give the cookies a very special aroma.
- Pinch of salt - to simply balance the sweetness.
- Almond essence - not an inclusion in the traditional Vanilleakipferl recipe but this extra addition goes a long way in making the cookies extra special.
how to make Keto Almond Crescents
Here is how to make low-carb vanilla almond crescent cookies (see recipe variation below, for those not on the keto diet).
- Sieve the almond flour to a bowl then combine it with the sweetener, salt, vanilla, almond essence and butter. Stir in ground almonds and mix, making sure to scrape off any dough sticking on the bowl.
- Divide the dough into 5 pieces each about 4-5cm in diameter. Wrap each piece of cut out dough in saran wrap or cling film, and allow to cool in the fridge
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cut out small pieces, each about ½ a cm thick and roll them out into crescents. Lay the crescents on the parchment paper-lined baking tray, making sure they do not touch. Bake at 175 degrees C (approx. 325 degrees F or gas mark 3) for 10-12 minutes. You can also tell the cookies are baked when the tips turn slightly brown. The cookies will be slightly soft when you get them out of the oven, but do not let this worry you. They will harden-up during the cooling process.
- Proceed on to make the vanilla sugar coating: mix vanilla sugar and powdered sugar in a small bowl or cup. Transfer to a sieve or powdered sugar container then sprinkle on top of the cookies while they are still warm but not too hot.
- Allow to completely cool before serving.
recipe variation
I realize that some of my readers may not be on a low-carb or keto diet. In case you are looking to make traditional almond crescents, here is a regular Vanillekipferl recipe for you to try.
useful tips
Here are some useful tips related to this vanilla almond crescent cookies (Vanillekipferl) recipe.
- Temperature: the dough needs to be completely cold. To achieve this, make sure to use all-cold ingredients. Also, try not to over-process when mixing the ingredients together to prevent the butter from getting too warm. Make sure your hands are not too warm if mixing the dough by hand as opposed to a kitchen machine.
- Work with portions: divide the dough into small portions and only work one portion at a time. Keep the rest in the fridge for the same reason mentioned above. The dough needs to be chilled and cool! Sorry, this is very important, there is no stressing it enough!!
- Size: next, try to make sure the vanilla crescent cookies have the same size. This will allow them to bake evenly.
- Cooling: you can pop the formed or shaped cookies in the fridge again to cool before baking if you prefer.
- Space: make sure to leave some space between the cookies on the baking tray to prevent the cookies from sticking to each other.
- Batch-bake: Bake these cookies in the oven in two batches. The other batch can bake while you decorate the baked cookie lot with the vanilla sugar and confectioner's sugar mix. The thing is, the crescent cookies need to be warm during the decoration process. If you bake both trays at the same time, there is a possibility of one batch or tray of cookies cooling before you decorate it.
- Do not over-bake. Almond flour tends to burb quicker than regular baking flour. So you may want to cover the cookies with foil or baking paper, to prevent them from turning brown too quickly. Additionally, the cookies should be slightly soft when you get them out from the oven.
- Serving: once baked, make sure to only remove the vanilla almond crescent cookies from the baking tray when completely cooled (allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour before serving).
storage
- Refrigeration: store the cookies in an airtight cookie jar or box. They will keep good for 2-4 weeks. As a tip, cut an apple into wedges and keep together with the cookies in a cookie jar, if you feel your cookies have turned too hard. This will soften them up.
- Freezing: The baked cookies can be frozen but I would not advise you to store them baked. It is much better to freeze the dough. You can always remove it from the freezer a few hours before baking or better still, the evening before.
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📖 Recipe
Vanilla Almond Crescent Cookies - Vanillekipferl
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups almond flour (blanched) 150 grams
- ½ cup ground almonds 50 grams
- ½ cup cold butter (vegan butter or margarine) as a vegan alternative
- 0.6 cup sugar-free powdered sweetener 80 grams (I used a mix of xylitol and erythritol in the ratio of 1:1)
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 vanilla pods use two for a more intense flavour
- 1 teaspoon almond essence
Vanilla Sugar Topping
- 6 tablespoon powdered sugar-free sweetener
- 2 tablespoon vanilla paste
Optional ingredieants
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the dark vanilla paste. Do not throw away the pod, you can use it to make vanilla essence or vanilla tea.
- Sieve the almond flour into a bowl then combine it with the sweetener, salt, vanilla, almond essence, baking powder (optional), and butter. Stir in ground almonds and mix, making sure to scrape off any dough sticking on the bowl. Next, divide the dough into 5 pieces each about 4-5cm. Wrap each in saran wrap or cling film and allow to cool in the fridge.1½ cups almond flour (blanched), ½ cup ground almonds, ½ cup cold butter, 0.6 cup sugar-free powdered sweetener, pinch of salt, 1-2 vanilla pods, 1 teaspoon almond essence, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Cut out small pieces, each about ½ a cm thick and roll them out into small crescents. Lay the crescents on the parchment paper-lined baking tray, making sure to leave some space between the cookies. Bake at 175 degrees C (approx. 325 degrees F or gas mark 3) for 10-12 minutes.
- The tips of the baked keto vanilla almond crescent cookies should turn only slightly brown. The cookies will be slightly soft when you get them out of the oven, but do not let this worry you. They will harden-up once cooled.
Prepare the vanilla sugar coating
- To make vanilla sugar, combine vanilla paste and powdered sugar in a small bowl or cup. Transfer to a sieve or powdered sugar container then sprinkle it on top of the vanilla almond crescent cookies while they are still warm but not too hot.6 tablespoon powdered sugar-free sweetener, 2 tablespoon vanilla paste
- Allow the keto almond cookies with vanilla to cool completely then serve!
Notes
- Temperature: the dough needs to be completely cold. To achieve this, make sure to use all-cold ingredients. Also, try not to over-process when mixing the ingredients together to prevent the butter from getting too warm. Make sure your hands are not too warm if mixing the dough by hand as opposed to a kitchen machine.
- Do not over-bake: Almond flour tends to burb quicker than regular baking flour so you may want to cover the cookies with foil or baking paper, to prevent them from turning brown too quickly. Additionally, the cookies should be slightly soft when you get them out from the oven.
- Serving: once baked, make sure to only remove the vanilla almond crescent cookies from the baking tray when completely cooled (allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour before serving).
Marta
I made these vanillekipferl for a global holiday party and they were gone in minutes! They reminded me so much of my years spent in Germany! I can't wait to make them again.
Kate Hahnel
Thank you very much and should you ever visit Germany again then do pop me a message!
Pam Greer
These are my favorite Christmas cookies, thank you so much for this gluten free version!
FOODHEAL
Amazing, I love everything with almond, I imagine how these crescents cookies are tasty.