Vanilla Crescents with Citrus and Verbena Salad
Vienna is famous for its coffeehouses and pastries. Among its most famous cookies are vanillekipferl, vanilla crescents. Nutty, crumbly, light, and addictive, they are cookie heaven. Our recipe is an updated version of the classic brought to us via a Viennese mother-in-law. We pair the cookies with a verbena-flavored citrus salad, a refreshing accompaniment. You can make the cookie dough a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. In fact, doing this allows the dough to rest and develop a more distinct flavor, and it will be easier to shape into crescents.
NOTE: The vanilla sugar needs to be made at least 2 days in advance, but this recipe makes more than you need for the cookies and it can be stored as long as regular sugar—and has just as many uses. Sprinkle over pancakes or muffins, put a pinch in whipped cream, or stir into hot chocolate. Keep it as a staple among your baking products. If you don’t have superfine sugar on hand, you can process sugar in a food processor fitted with a metal blade to achieve a finer texture.
MAKES 6 DOZEN COOKIES
Vanilla Sugar
2 cups superfine sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, sliced open lengthwise
Cookies
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2½ cups ground hazelnuts
2¼ cup ground almonds
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup plus 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
Citrus Verbena Salad (recipe follows)
At least 2 days ahead, make the vanilla sugar: Put the sugar in an airtight container, bury the vanilla bean in it, close, and store at room temperature. Shake the container every few days to distribute the vanilla flavor.
To make the cookies, in a large bowl, combine the flours and salt and mix. Add the ground nuts and mix thoroughly.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the butter and confectioners’ sugar and pulse until light and fluffy. Add the flour and nuts and pulse until the ingredients are fully combined. Then pulse until the dough just starts to come together, 5 or 6 times. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften, about 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into three equal pieces. With your hands, roll the dough into logs 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. Cut the logs into ¼-inch slices, then roll the dough between your palms back and forth two times to form a small sausage shape that is slightly thicker in the middle. Bend into crescents and place on the lined baking sheet. Bake, in batches, until the bottoms of the crescents are just golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Place the cookies on wire racks to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
Spread half the vanilla sugar on a tray. Very carefully, remove the still-warm crescents from the racks and roll in the vanilla sugar. (Save excess sugar for next time.) Serve with the citrus salad, and store leftovers in airtight containers.
VARIATION
This dough can make a delicious shortbread-style finger cookie (see photo here). Prepare the dough as directed on here. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Place the dough into the pan and spread it evenly, using your fingers to get the dough into the corners. Place another piece of parchment paper over the dough and use a small rolling pin or a can to smooth down the top and fill in the edges. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Before you bake the cookies, make shallow cuts in the dough with a knife to outline the cookies, measuring roughly 1 inch by 3 inches. Bake 25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and while the cookies are still warm and while still in the pan, re-score the shallow cuts and sprinkle with the vanilla sugar. Allow to cool completely. Cut along the lines again and remove from the pan.
Citrus Verbena Salad
This salad may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Don’t add the herbs, coriander, or nuts until serving.
SERVES 4 TO 5
2 pink grapefruits
1 white grapefruit or pomelo
2 navel oranges
2 blood oranges
2 teaspoons honey
Pinch of ground coriander (optional)
10 fresh lemon verbena leaves or mint leaves
¼ cup roasted shelled pistachios, chopped (optional)
Cut the fruits into supremes (see here). Transfer the supremes to a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the fruit membranes into a small saucepan. Stir in the honey. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by one-third. Allow to cool slightly. Add coriander if desired. Pour over the supremes.
Right before serving, stack, roll, and cut the verbena or mint into thin ribbons. Toss with the citrus, sprinkle with pistachios (if using), and serve.
Two Great Dunking Cookies
Known as biscotti to some and mandelbread to others, we love these cookies no matter what they are called! Most baking authorities distinguish between the two on the basis of fat content. Mandelbread usually contains a bit more fat, making it slightly softer. But technically they’re both biscotti because they’re both baked twice (biscotti means “twice baked”). Dunked in cappuccino or in a glezel tei (Yiddish for a glass of tea) we know you’ll enjoy them.
Pistachio Anise Biscotti
This recipe can easily be doubled. If anise is not to your taste, use 2 teaspoons lemon zest instead of the anise seed. These keep for a week in an airtight tin, or frozen for a month.
MAKES 24 BISCOTTI
1 cup shelled pistachios
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons crushed anise seed
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornmeal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small skillet, toast the pistachios over low heat, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. When cool, chop them.
In a food processor or standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, anise seed, and vanilla and pulse or beat to combine.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Add to the butter mixture and pulse or mix to just combine.
Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet and use your hands to work the pistachios into the dough. Mold the dough into 2 equal logs with your hands (about 4 x 15 inches) and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and firm but still soft in the middle, about 30 minutes.
Remove the logs from the oven and cool on the sheet on a rack until you can handle them. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Using a serrated knife, cut each log into ¼-inch slices on the diagonal. Place the slices, cut side down, on the sheet. Return to the oven and bake until crisp and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Coconut Mandelbread
Current thought holds that coconut oil is good for you. Since we grew up thinking it would contribute to heart disease, we’re thrilled to know that it can raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. We’re also happy to use it instead of butter or margarine for our mandelbread.
We’re providing a basic recipe, but please feel free to be creative by including nuts, dried fruits, seeds, or chocolate. You can freeze the mandelbread in an airtight container or freeze the loaf before baking it. These cookies are fabulous paired with mango and pineapple fruit salad.
½ cup pecans or mini chocolate chips
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
4 ounces solid coconut oil, unsalted butter, or margarine, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Mango and Pineapple Fruit Salad (recipe follows)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small skillet, toast the pecans over low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and chop fine when cool. If using chocolate chips, set them aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
In a food processor or standing mixer, combine the solid coconut oil and sugar and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat. Add the vanilla and mix. Add the flour mixture gradually and mix to combine. Remove the dough and place it on the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Add the nuts (or chocolate chips) and coconut and work into the dough by hand.
Mold the dough into 2 equal logs with your hands (about 3 x 15 inches) and place them 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the logs are slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the logs from the oven and allow to cool slightly until you can handle them. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Using a serrated knife cut the logs into ½-inch slices on the diagonal. Place the slices, cut sides down, on the baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until crisp and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Serve with Mango and Pineapple Fruit Salad.
Mango and Pineapple Fruit Salad
We believe the secret to a great fruit salad is taking the time to consistently dice all the fruit into small (¼-inch) pieces. The pomegranate seeds add a great textural crunch. You’ll make this again and again, changing the fruits as the seasons and availability allow. Cut each of the fruits up and, if not serving immediately, store in separate containers until ready to serve.
SERVES 6 TO 8
2 mangoes, pitted, peeled, and cut into small dice
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into small dice
3 firm Anjou pears or apples (or a combination), peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces
Juice of 1 orange
1 cup pomegranate seeds (see here) or 1 pint small blueberries
Mint leaves, for garnish
In a serving bowl, combine the mangoes and pineapple. In a large bowl, combine the pears and/or apples with the orange juice. Add to the mango and pineapple with the pomegranate seeds or blueberries. Gently mix to combine. Garnish with mint and serve.