Master baker Arnd Erbel from Dachsbach in Franconia reveals his recipe for delicious vanilla crescents. Perfect for giving as a gift or for snacking on yourself during Advent
Recipe for vanilla crescents
Vanilla crescents have been on the Advent table since the days of our great-grandmothers, and they are still a popular Christmas biscuit today. Whether as a small gift for friends and relatives or for your own enjoyment at home: the little croissants aka Kipferl are simply part of the Christmas season.
At Backstube Erbel - one of the oldest bakeries in Germany - master baker Arnd Erbel prepares baked goods according to tried and tested traditional recipes. Here he presents his recipe for vanilla crescents.
Ingredients
- 300 g soft butter
- 200 g sugar
- 75 g ground hazelnuts
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla pod
- 200 g spelt flour 630
- 200 g spelt wholemeal flour
- fine sugar for sprinkling
Preparation
Step 1
Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and carefully scrape out the inside with the blunt side of the knife or a small spoon.
Step 2
Place 200 g sugar and 300 g softened butter in a bowl and spread the vanilla pulp onto the butter.
Step 3
Add the egg, the egg yolks and the pinch of salt and knead everything by hand. Finally, mix in the two flours and the ground hazelnuts and knead well again until a homogeneous dough is formed. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Roll three “sausage-like shapes” out of the dough and cut them into 3 cm long pieces.
Step 5
First, form these into balls, roll the balls between the palms of your hands and form the typical half-moon shapes.
Step 6
Place the crescents on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 12-15 minutes (until the tops turn golden brown).
Step 7
Sprinkle with fine sugar or icing sugar immediately after baking.
