This egg-free recipe for Polish vanilla cookies or ciasteczka waniliowe (chahss-TETCH-kah vah-neel-YAW-veh) is made with ground almonds and vanilla bean, which gives them a rich vanilla flavor. They are formed into crescent shapes much like Polish rogaliki, except the latter calls for egg yolk. This crescent is also considered a Polish Christmas cookie.
Here is a larger photo of Polish Vanilla Cookies.
Here is a larger photo of Polish Vanilla Cookies.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: About 60 cookies
Ingredients:
- 7 ounces softened butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped of its seeds
- 3.5 ounces ground almonds
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if necessary
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add scraped seeds from vanilla bean and almonds, and mix again. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Add it to the butter mixture and thoroughly combine. If dough is too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.
- On parchment-lined baking sheets, portion out small balls of dough. Roll in the hands and shape into small crescents. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are golden. While cookies are still on the baking pan, sprinkle with sugar mixture. Let cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container.
