Hello lovelies,
I absolutely love poppy seeds, and I love traditional Vanillekipferl, so why not bring the two together? That is how these vegan poppy seed crescent cookies were born, and they turned out really delicious. If you are curious how the other Christmas classics work without eggs and butter, read my guide to baking Christmas cookies the vegan way.
The best thing about crescents: you do not need a single cookie cutter. You divide the dough into walnut-sized pieces, roll them into little crescents by hand and put them straight onto the baking sheet. All you really need is well-chilled dough and a digital kitchen scale, because shortbread dough is not forgiving and a few grams of extra flour make the crescents dry and crumbly.
Poppy seeds: ground, not whole
For the dough I grind the poppy seeds finely before they go into the bowl. That opens up the seeds, their nutty flavor spreads through the whole dough, and the crescents get that lovely grey speckle. Ground poppy seeds turn rancid quickly though, so grind them just before baking.
Vegan butter for shortbread dough
Vegan butter gives the dough its tender, crumbly texture; a firm block with about 80 percent fat works best. I explain which fat belongs in shortbread dough and why in a separate guide. Well-chilled dough is also much easier to shape.
These crescents are one of three recipes from my little cookie series, and you will find the whole series with all three kinds in my post vegan Christmas cookies: 3 recipes. The girls loved them from the very first batch.
If you are looking for more kinds for the plate, try my stacked vegan Christmas tree cookies with aquafaba snow. They look festive on any cookie plate and are easier than they seem.
Chocolate fans will love the vegan chocolate caramel cookies from the same baking round. Have fun shaping and rolling, and enjoy a cozy Advent season! Tell me in the comments which kind your Christmas plate can't do without.
