Though Vanillekipferl are typical for Christmas (especially in Germany) their origin is not Christian at all. The first Vanillekipferl were created by the pagan population of the antique regions of Germania. They were created honouring of female pagan goddesses such as Freia or Frika. While the first Vanillekipferl would not feature vanilla , one of its main ingredients the early form were made in the same shape of a crescent. While Christianity was expanding throughout Europe , catholic priests took advantage of the rituals among Vanillekipferl in order to convert the pagan population to Christianity.
Just for you to know the first Vanillekipferl recipe as we know it today , was featured 1911 in a cooking-book for housewives. Notwithstanding, every baker in Germany has his own special recipe.
What you need:
- 250 g flour
- 200 g cold butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 75 g brown sugar
- 100g almonds
- 2 spoons vanilla extract
- Icing sugar
How you do it:
Put al ingredients together in one bowl and star kneading them until you get a homogeneous batter. Afterwards wrap the batter in some aluminium-foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. After taking out the batter from the fridge start moulding small rolls (The diameter should be 5 cm aprox.) Cut out from the roll 2cm thick discs. Form from the discs the crescent form of the Vanillekipferl. When you are done bake the cookies at 180º C for 15 minutes. After baking let the cookies cool down Before they are completely cooled down cover them with some icing sugar.
The Chef Cat 