What Austrian crescent-shaped biscuit is traditionally made with ground nuts?

The Austrian crescent-shaped biscuit traditionally made with ground nuts is Vanillekipferl.

Vanillekipferl are small, crescent-shaped biscuits associated especially with Vienna and Austrian Christmas baking. Their rich dough typically combines butter, flour, powdered sugar and ground nuts. Walnuts are traditional in some accounts, while almonds and hazelnuts are also widely used. Vanilla sugar gives the finished biscuits their characteristic aroma and name.

The crescent shape is often linked to the Ottoman crescent symbol and a story about celebrating the 1683 Battle of Vienna. That origin story is commonly repeated, but the biscuit is also part of a broader Central European baking tradition. Versions are popular in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Vanillekipferl can be deceptively delicate. Their butter-rich dough is soft before baking, and the baked biscuits may crumble when rolled in vanilla sugar while still warm. They are not the same as Linzer Augen: those are usually jam-filled sandwich biscuits, while Vanillekipferl are single crescent cookies.