Vanilla Sugar
 

Here is just one of many recipes in which you use Vanilla Sugar.

Vanilla Kipferln - Vanilla Crescents - Viennese Crescents

l cup blanched and finely ground almonds

l stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

Vanilla sugar for flavoring


Cream butter with sugar until nice and fluffy. Add the ground almonds,
then slowly mix in the flour. Knead the dough until everything is well
combined and smooth. If the dough is too soft, you may need a little
more flour.

Take walnut sized pieces of dough, roll them between the palms of your
hands and form into small rolls. Bend rolls into crescent shapes and
place on ungreased cookie sheet. If the dough crumbles, add a small
amount of raw egg yolk.

Bake in cool, 325 degree oven and watch carefully. The cookies are not
suppose to brown and are done when firm to the touch, but still almost
white.

Dip each crescent into vanilla sugar while still hot. You can make your
own vanilla sugar by putting either granulated or confectioner's sugar
into an airtight jar and adding a vanilla bean which has been broken
into small pieces. You can also buy vanilla sugar from Penzey's or find
it in specialty shops made by Dr. Oetker's.

Don't tell anybody, but if you are out of vanilla sugar, just add a drop
of fine vanilla extract to the dough while you are mixing it and then
dip the hot cookies into plain sugar. I have done it and nobody noticed
the difference. Just make sure it is just a drop or so, 1/4 of a
teaspoon if the extract is strong and fresh. Since it makes me feel
guilty when I do it, I still use vanilla sugar whenever possible.
--
Margaret Suran
Why is it that inside every older person is a younger person,
wondering what the heck happened.