Vienna Sugar Cookies Recipes

VIENNA TEA COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray.
• In food processor or blender, place 1/2 cup cookie mix and the almonds; process until almonds are finely chopped.
• In large bowl, stir remaining cookie mix, the butter, egg and almond mixture until dough forms. Press dough in pan to cover bottom.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes. Loosen edges from side of pan; cut cookie into 4 (7 1/2x5-inch) rectangles. Cool 30 minutes. With spatula, transfer pieces to a cutting board.
• Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, process jam until smooth. In small bowl, reserve 2 teaspoons of processed jam; set aside. Spread remaining jam on top side of 2 rectangles. Place a remaining rectangle, bottom side up, on top of each jam-covered rectangle.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the powdered sugar over each rectangle. Add remaining powdered sugar and the water to reserved jam; stir until smooth. Place in small food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small tip from one corner of bag; squeeze glaze on top of dusted rectangles in diagonal crisscross pattern. Let stand 30 minutes to set.
• Cut each rectangle in half to make 4 (7 1/2x2 1/2-inch) rectangles. Cut each rectangle into seven 2 1/2x1-inch bars. Store covered at room temperature.

VIENNESE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Combine flour and ground almonds; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. , Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/4-in. round cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Spread jam on the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip half of each sandwich cookie into chocolate mixture; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in an airtight container.

VIENNESE CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• In an airtight container, combine the confectioners' sugar and vanilla bean and let stand, covered, for at least 24 hours. Sift before using. (The vanilla sugar will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several months.)
• In a food processor or high-powered blender, pulse together the flour, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, salt, and hazelnuts until the nuts are finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and pulse just until a dough forms. If the dough is crumbly, you may need to pulse it a little longer until it forms a dough. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gently form it into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
• Roll level tablespoons of dough (about 18 grams) into balls. Then roll each ball on a smooth surface into a 3-inch log with slightly tapered ends. Bend each log to form crescents and arrange them about 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake the cookies until the edges are pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 2 minutes.
• Sift enough vanilla confectioners' sugar onto a rimmed baking sheet to cover the bottom.
• Carefully transfer the slightly cooled baked crescent cookies to the sugared baking sheet and sprinkle with enough sugar to coat completely. Move the crescents to wire racks to cool completely. (The cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax or parchment paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

VIENNA COOKIES

Steps:

• Finely chop the 1/2 cup almonds. Sieve egg yolks. Cream butter with egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and salt until very light and fluffy. Stir in chopped almonds, cherries and pineapple. Add flour, mixing to make a soft dough. Chill dough until easy to handle.
• Form the dough into 1 inch balls; place on lightly greased cooky sheet and flatten to 1/2 inch. Lightly press an almond half into each. Bake on a high rack in the oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yield about 3 dozen cookies.
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• Typically these cookies were topped with an almond half. Heating the whole almonds first makes them easier to split. Place the nuts in a shallow pan in a 300 degree oven for about 5 minutes. As soon as they are cool enough to handle split them into halves with the sharp tip of a small kitchen knife.
• If nuts are not for you, a dusting of confections sugar, or a sliver of cherry also could grace the cookies top. Sometimes we did all 3 just to make an assortment.

VIENNESE VANILLA COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and add sugar. Add 1/2 cup of flour mixing after each addition. Add remaining ingredients. Shape into a disk and then chill for 30 minutes. You can also put the dough in the freezer at this point.
• Begin to roll the dough the dough so that it is about 1/4-inch thick or a little more. Cut with cookie cutters. Place dough on parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet. I prefer using parchment paper. It's just easier.
• Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until the edges are a bit brown. You may need to lower your oven to 325 degrees F.
• You can also freeze or chill the dough in a log shape rather than a disk. If you do this, simply cut small rounds about 1/4 inch thick and place these rounds on the lined cookie sheet. These bake for 15 minutes. (This works well, if you want to transport dough to a friend's house and have kids form the cookies.)
• Once the cookies come out of the oven, either cool them on the cookie sheet or move the parchment paper to a cookie rack. As the cookies cool, but before they're fully cooled, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
• Arrange on a plate and don't blink because they'll disappear before you open your eyes. Eat.
• That's the classic Brown family cookie. Without it Christmas simply isn't Christmas. Sometimes I bring a batch from my Chicago home and that simply doesn't work. My sister and mother are upset that the house doesn't smell like Christmas...no cookie smell in the air. I'm often required to make many batches...and the cookies are eaten at all times
• and for all meals.
• These were the cookies we left for Santa...He regularly gobbled them up, leaving only a few crumbs on the plate and a note that said, "These are excellent cookies, the best I've had." In retrospect, the writing looked an awful lot like my father's... If they're good enough for Santa, I think they're good enough for anyone.

VIENNESE CRESCENT HOLIDAY COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, butter, nuts, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla. Hand mix until thoroughly blended. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place sugar in a bowl or small container. With sharp chef's knife, split vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out seeds, and mix them into the sugar. Cut pod into 2 inch pieces and mix into sugar.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and form into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball into a small roll, 3 inches long. Place rolls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet, and bend each one to make a crescent shape.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set but not brown.
• Let stand 1 minute, then remove from cookie sheets. Place hot cookies on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with prepared sugar mixture. Turn gently to coat on both sides. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Just before serving, coat with more vanilla flavored sugar.

AUSTRIAN JAM COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and egg yolk; mix until fluffy. Stir in the flour, and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F ( 150 degrees C ). Grease cookie sheets.
• Measure out the dough by teaspoonfuls, and roll into balls. Dip the balls into chopped almonds and set on the prepared cookie sheet 1 inch apart. With a finger, make an indention in each cookie, fill the indention up with jam using a teaspoon or a pastry bag. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, cookies should be golden brown. Remove from pan after baking to cool on a wire rack.

VIENNA SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add flour. Add yeast mixture and blend well. Refrigerate dough until well chilled.
• Spread sugar out on a large piece of waxed paper. Roll walnut-sized balls of dough into the sugar, pressing flat until dough is thin, about the size of a doughnut. Keep flipping dough and pressing into sugar during this stage.
• Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until very lightly browned around the edges. Cool on racks.