Nusskipferl

These are old-school Viennese crescent cookies with serious heritage. The dough is a tender, almost flaky yeast pastry made with sour cream, butter, and egg yolks (no sugar at all in the dough), so the sweetness comes entirely from the nut meringue filling rolled inside.

The filling itself is a quick beat of egg whites with sugar and ground nuts (walnuts or hazelnuts are traditional), which puffs slightly in the oven and gives each crescent its signature airy, almost candy-like center. Rolled jelly-roll style and curved into the namesake horn shape, they bake into pale, delicate cookies meant for sipping with strong coffee.

Pro Tips

• Keep the dough cold while you work. The high butter content means warm dough turns sticky and resistant to rolling. Refrigerate between batches if your kitchen is warm.
• Beat the egg whites only to soft peaks for the filling. Stiff peaks make the meringue dry and crumbly when folded with nuts.
• Roll each rectangle just snug, not tight. Over-rolling squeezes out the filling, while loose rolls unfurl in the oven.
• Curve the cookies as soon as they hit the baking sheet, before the dough firms up. Once it sets, bending will crack the surface.

Variations

• Use ground walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds for the filling. Each has a distinct character (walnuts warm and earthy, hazelnuts sweet and floral, almonds delicate).
• Dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar for the classic Viennese presentation.
• Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or a pinch of cardamom to the nut filling for a spiced winter version.