My Vanille Kipfel aka Moon Cookies

by Michael
(Running Springs, Ca,USA)

These Cookies are from my Mother and Grandmother. I have simplified the works to cut down on excessive handling of the Cookies. Since the Powdered Sugar in Calif. has a lot of starch ( which comes out lumpy on the warm Cookies) I mixed fine Bakers Sugar with the Vanilla Sugar packets ( from German Deli or World Markets). I use ground Walnuts which have a little moisture, not as dry as Almonds or Hazelnuts.

See the Pictures..

Vanilla Crescent Cookies
Or as the kids called them "Moon Cookies"

140 grams finely ground Nuts (we use walnuts)
140 grams of Sugar
280 grams of Butter, not too hard and not too soft
340 grams of Flour
1 box of Powdered Sugar
3-4 packets of Vanilla Sugar (World Market-Cost Plus, any German Deli)



Mix Nuts, Sugar, Butter and Flour well then take a small pinch of the mixed dough and roll in the Palm of your hand; it should be thin at the ends and thicker in the middle. Place the rolled dough on the cookie sheet and bend the ends to form the half moon.-it is important that they all have the somewhat same size-so they all get done at the same time. As you place the moon cookie on the cookie sheet, give them enough room to expand while baking.

Pre-heat oven to 350F - if you have a Convection Oven or Convection feature on your Stove, they should take about 9 min's. Make sure that they don't get brown....they will burn easily if left in too long. They may take less time, but up here at 6000ft that's how long they take.

When the cookies are done baking, take out and let cool for a while. I use a small screened rack and place them on it, with a metal cake spatula.

In a large Ziploc bag mix the box of Powdered Sugar, the Vanilla Sugar and I add regular Sugar ( the Powder Sugar has too much Starch in it), to keep it from being lumpy, I add just enough of the regular Sugar.
With a small sieve filled with the Powder Sugar mix, dust the Cookies on the Rack (I place the rack into a large Aluminum Pan- to catch the powdered Sugar).
Now that the Cookies have been dusted, with a Spatula pick them off the rack and place on a large Platter. You can offset the second row on top so air can circulate.

Phew...now you are done (well at least with the first Sheet) pour a nice Gewürztraminer or Riesling into a glass, place a cookie on your Tongue and have a sip of the Wine- Champagne works too....