Sprøde Vaniljekiks (Vanilla Cookies)

The Importance of Texture

For us, an essential part of a delicious dessert is its texture, in addition to its flavor. It is true that some desserts should be soft rather than crunchy, while some should be crispy and crunchy instead of soft. For a more complex dessert, though, a combination of many different textures – hard, soft, crunchy, crispy, etc. – can really elevate it. This can make a dish a million times more interesting to eat and therefore more delicious. One of our favorites that truly combines all the textures is our recipe for jordbærtrifli, or a strawberry trifle. The mixture of smooth vanilla custard, light and fluffy whipped cream, fresh and crisp strawberries, and crunchy almond cookies is incredible. Inspired by this, we wanted to make another type of cookie that can be used in trifles, which resulted in the creation of this recipe for crunchy vanilla cookies!

Today’s Recipe

Now, it is important to know that these cookies are not exclusively for trifles! They are also delicious as a simple cookie to have alongside a cup of tea or coffee. Or, you can use them to make sandwich cookies and include some sort of jam or cream in the middle. Either way, they are so yummy and incredibly easy to make! If you ever find yourself out of cookies and need to make some in a very short timeframe, these would be a great solution.

We like to use only egg white because this keeps the cookies quite flat and gives them a phenomenal crunchiness. However, if you prefer a slightly softer cookie, feel free to add the entire egg. You can also add in any other flavorings you want instead of vanilla, such as almond or even lemon extract. The recipe and steps are down below – we hope you try it out! Enjoy!

Sprøde Vaniljekiks (Vanilla Cookies)

4.50 from 2 votes

These vanilla cookies are so simple but absolutely delicious. Their super crunchy texture makes them the perfect partner to a cup of coffee or tea, and we also love to use them in other desserts like trifles!

Servings 40 cookies

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 43 minutes mins

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 100 (1/2 cup) grams granulated sugar
• 160 (1 & 1/3 cup) grams all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 70 (~5 tbsp) grams unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg white (note: you can add a whole egg for a more tender cookie, and an additional 1/2 tsp baking powder for a puffier cookie! If you do add the whole egg, make sure to compensate by adding a few more tablespoons of flour so the dough is not too wet)

Instructions

 

• Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix until evenly combined.
  
• Add in vanilla extract and melted butter and roughly mix with a spoon.
  
• Add in one egg white and mix the dough until it starts to come together. Knead gently with your hands until all of the dry spots have been hydrated.
  
• We like to chill the dough so it's easier to work with, but you can try to roll this out right away if you would like! Otherwise, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough for 15-30 minutes.
• While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 365F (185C).
• Flour a work surface and roll out the dough, adding flour to the top as well so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin. Roll the cookies out to between 1/8" and 1/4" (the thickness is up to you – the thinner they are, the crispier they will be!)
  
• Cut into circles about 2" in diameter (we just use a glass to do this step). Transfer the cookies to a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
  
• Bake for about 7-8 minutes, until the edges turn golden. Transfer to a cooling rack.
  
• Collect any dough scraps and roll the dough out again on your floured surface; we like to do this while the first batch of cookies are baking, but you can also bake two trays at a time! Continue to use the scraps until you are out of dough, or the dough is too dry to hold together any longer; and continue baking the cookies for 7-8 minutes at a time.
• Enjoy on their own with a cup of tea, or use for sandwich cookies, or even as a layer in a trifle!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Other

Keyword: crispy, crunchy, vanilla

Difficulty: Beginner