Vanilla Kifli Cookies

By davidv

"Sweet and buttery Vanilla Kifli Cookies are a common Christmas treat in Hungary. The perfect partner to any hot drink, why not make them your new signature holiday cookie?"—David

Tip: For a festive & homemade gift, place a few of these cookies into small plastic favor bags, tie them up with a ribbon, and include a note about their Hungarian origin!

Ingredients

• SUGAR COATING
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
• COOKIES
• 1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces blanched almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg yolk

Details

Servings 20
Preparation time 105mins
Cooking time 15mins
Adapted from qvc.co

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the sugar coating, place both sugars and the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the seeds are distributed throughout the sugar. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare the cookies, place the flour, almonds, and salt in the same food processor bowl. Pulse until the almonds are finely chopped, then set the mixture aside.

Mix the butter, vanilla bean seeds, and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fully combined. Add the egg yolk to the bowl and mix until creamy. Add the flour-almond mixture and continue mixing until fully incorporated.

Form a disc with the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 90 minutes.

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge, and with your hands, roll the dough into 1/2"W x 3"L logs, making sure that the ends of the logs are slightly tapered, then curve the dough slightly to form a crescent shape. Place the crescents onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 1" apart.

Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 7 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place it onto a wire rack. Let the cookies sit for 3–4 minutes, then gently toss each one into the vanilla-sugar mixture until completely coated on all sides. Let the cookies cool before serving.