Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop 2021: Vanillekipferl and Pattern Giveaway
It’s Cookie Exchange time! First I would like to thank Carol of Just Let Me Quilt for organizing it again. This is my favourite blog hop of the year, and I never really have enough time to join many blog hops but this is the one I try not to miss. I started working on my project in July this year, knowing that with my health issues I would need extra time. And for once I actually finished with lots of time to spare. No last minute night shifts for me this year.
And once again, I have a German cookie recipe. (For previous entries, check German Butter Cookies in 2018, Hazelnut Cookies in 2019 and Mandelsplitter in 2020.) This time I made Vanillekipferl. I think this is as German as it can get. Or maybe Austrian. Because I started thinking about the name. Vanille means vanilla, and Kipferl means the crescent shape of the cookies. But Kipferl is not a very German word, in fact these cookies are the only context I could think of. So I looked it up, and it turns out that it is Austrian which makes perfect sense. Yes, they speak German in Austria but they have different words for some things that the average German does not understand. And Kipferl fits right in there. I also found out that the recipe originated in Vienna, so it isn’t even German at all. But they are delicious and one of my favourites for Christmas.
In Germany, the four weekends of Advent leading up to Christmas are a big thing, and we traditionally started baking on the first weekend. In most years that’s the last weekend in November. My mother is a fabulous baker, and she made lots of Christmas cookies but she stored them all in safe places and we didn’t get to eat most of them until Christmas. She needed them for another very German tradition: “Bunter Teller”. It literally translates to “colourful plate” and means a plate full of cookies, chocolates, nuts and other delicious goodies. I have three siblings, and each of us would receive their own plate as an additional Christmas gift, and nothing on that plate needed to be shared. If you have siblings, you know how special that is. If you would like to know more about this tradition, check out this post by German Girl in America. She explains it in detail and with pictures. We used to have some of those coated cardboard plates with Christmas images that she shows, and I got all excited seeing these vintage paper plates. Exactly how I remember it.
In our house we don’t believe in waiting until Christmas because there is always so much food anyway, and it feels like you are eating constantly. So we start eating our Christmas cookies as soon as we make them, nibbling one or two with our coffee in the afternoon. There is always enough left at Christmas, and when our son comes home, he will happily make more, especially if most of his favourites are already gone.
A few words of caution/disclaimer: This is a German recipe. Germans measure only liquids by volume, solid ingredients are measured by weight. And everything is metric, of course. With the help of the internet I have provided the imperial measurements but there is no guarantee these are correct… it’s the internet after all. So if a number looks suspicious to you, please double check the math.
And once again I have come up with a Christmas mug rug design. I am always super busy towards the end of the year, not only with longarm quilting but I also have to finalize the new BOM project for next year, and I always send out handmade Christmas cards. A few years ago I started designing next year’s Christmas card right away and always buy the fabric in December, thinking this would take the pressure out of the last minute rush. And then I put everything in a drawer, forget all about it, and suddenly it’s November, and I haven’t worked on my cards at all. At least I don’t have to scramble to come up with a design and run out to buy fabric but it still takes up a lot of my time in November and early December. So in July I decided I could count on Carol running the Virtual Cookie Exchange again and started drawing Christmas designs. This year I played with holly leaves and came up with two designs that I liked. I couldn’t decide which one I like better, so I kept them both. The pattern is ready to go and will be published next week. Here is a little preview, and I am also giving away three digital copies of the pattern (English/Imperial measurements only). If you would like to win one, please leave a comment and enter the giveaway. Entries will be accepted until Sunday (December 12, 2021, 11.59 PST), and I will announce the winners on the following Wednesday and email the patterns. Please scroll down to the end of the post for giveaway rules and guidelines.
Deck The Halls Mug Rug #1
Deck The Halls Mug Rug #2
Comment moderation is turned off for today to make it easier for you to enter the giveaway. But please don’t leave your email address in the comment text. It is not necessary to do so, and the spam protection software will kick in and not publish your comment, so it will have to be moderated after all. I will be happy to manually publish it but please keep in mind that I am in the Pacific time zone and will still be asleep when this post publishes.
Thank you for visiting today, and please make sure that you visit all the participants of this blog hop and look at their fabulous projects and mouthwatering cookies. Here is the full schedule of all four days of the event.
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Wednesday, December 8
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Thursday, December 9
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Giveaway Rules and Guidelines
Please take the time to read them.
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- You must leave a comment to enter the giveaway. If you don’t leave a comment, your winning entry will be ignored and cancelled.
- You are only allowed to enter once.
- The winners will be announced either on Wednesday, December 15 or Thursday, December 16, 20201
- You must give a valid email address when you enter the giveaway. Any email returned to me loses the ability to win automatically.
- I will email the digital patterns to the winners right away. Please check your spam folders if you are announced as one of the winners and didn’t receive an email. Especially Gmail likes to send anything I send straight to the spam folder. If you have a Canadian address with Shaw or Telus, they are even worse and often reject my email address without notifying me or the recipient.
- No purchase whatsoever is necessary.
- You must be 18+ in order to win a gift.
- All winners are chosen at random.
- All winners will be announced on the blog via the Rafflecopter entry form and a post. All winners must allow for their first name and first initial of their last name to be announced on this blog.
- Odds of winning a prize are based on the total number of rafflecopter entries.
- This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
CATEGORIES: Blog Hop
TAGS: Appliqué, Christmas, Mug Rug
52 responses to “Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop 2021: Vanillekipferl and Pattern Giveaway”
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Thank you for the give away. I was looking through the cookie exchange and fell in love with these mug rugs. I’m a huge fan of mug rugs 🙂 They are so cute.
Both are beautifully done, but I really prefer the wreath.
Thank you for the chance to win this pattern. I enjoy making mug rugs and these are so cute! You always have the best ideas for patterns. Thank you for sharing with us. Happy Holidays!
Thank you for the recipe my paternal grandfather was from Germany. I love you pretty mug rugs! Happy Holidays!
Your mug rugs are lovely! Thanks for a chance to win the patterns. How wonderful that you send handmade Christmas cards!
Thank you for the recipe! They look delicious and I am a sucker for anything with almonds in them. Yummy!
Beautiful mug rugs! I love both patterns. Thanks for the recipe–these cookies look delicious!
What a wonderful story of your childhood Christmas. Growing up with 5 siblings, an individual plate of cookies would’ve been very special. My paternal grandfather was German, so my grandmother and mother especially at Christmas baked many wonderful cookies and breads. Not a cookie, my favorite was a Christmas Stollen, which I don’t even know it’s origin. I give mug rugs for holidays, any of these would be an extraordinarily gift, I’d probably only make for a few quilting friends who’d appreciate the hand work. They’re beautiful!
I love your patterns and appreciate the cookie recipe. It is so fun to make cookies st Christmas time. I can’t wait to try yours.
I enjoyed reading the story of your childhood Christmas. There were 5 kids in my family to. Thanks for the cookie recipe. I would be interested in learning how you make your Christmas cards.
I love those mug rugs! Thank you for sharing the story behind your cookies and the very interesting Bunter Teller story. So your son bakes if his favorites are gone? How fun! Great post and thank you for the giveaway chance!
As usual, your patterns are so attractive. I’d love to make them.
I love the use of the pinks as the holly berries. Just darling! Thanks for sharing and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!
these are so pretty and fun. thank you for the recipe. those look great. something new to try for Christmas
My one “new” cookie I baked this year was Pfeffernüsse. The real interesting part was chasing down all the spices for the Lebkuchengewürz!
I had 8 of the 10 called for in my spices but had to chase down the green cardamom and star anise.
Your story about having your own plate of cookies sounds like a wonderful tradition. I may have to do that! The cookies look delicious and your mug rugs are just adorable. I love how your mother would hide the cookies so she could make the colorful plate! It’s always a joy to have you join in for the Virtual Cookie Exchange…thank you!
I am enjoying seeing the yummy recipes and yummy projects.
I have saved the recipe. Thankyou for sharing. My mother used to make sooo many cookies for Christmas. We nibbled all day long and it was always a surprise to everyone that there was room for dinner. 🙂 My sister and I started a new tradition last year: she stays over for a few days and we make cherry flips, a cookie wrapped around a cherry. So tasty, especially when those cherries are bourbon cherries. lol Thank you for the chance to win those great patterns. The holly is my favourite.
Pretty mug rugs – I love the designs. The cookie recipe looks delicious!
My husband’s family also had the Personal Christmas Plate tradition. It is so special. My first choice is the Deck the Halls pattern, so pretty. Merry Christmas!
I love Christmas cookies, especially with lots of butter. Thanks for the giveaway. Merry Christmas
Your cookies look delicious, and love the mug rugs! Thanks so much for sharing!
cookies look yummy. Love the mug rugs they are too cute.
Love those sweet mug rugs–like the bit of pink in them–thanks for sharing-
hugs, di
Love your mug rugs
I love your mug rugs and that cookie looks delicious. I will definitely put that one in my recipe file!
Lovely mug rugs. I think I need to try your recipe as I seem to remember eating them in Austria as a child when on vacation when my Dad was stationed in Europe.
Love trying new recipes and am anxious to try yours. Making your rug mugs would be an equally fine treat!
I love the back stories for posts. The history is wonderful to share for the holidays. Your cookies and your mug rugs are perfect ways to celebrate the holidays.
Love the mug rugs! Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try them!
Those cookies look absolutely delicious. I enjoyed your story about making colorful cookies that each child gets their own plate of. Being an only child, I really can’t relate. I do remember the squabbles of my own two children though. Your mug rugs are so pretty. Thanks for the giveaway contest.
Cute mug rugs and yummy looking cookies. I love trying traditional cookie recipes from other places. Thank you for sharing in the hop … 🙂 Pat
Your story is as yummy as the cookies look. I am going to take more time later to read about “Bunter Teller” – it is so fun to learn about traditions. Your mug rugs are very pretty. Thank you for the chance in the giveaway.
Enjoyed finding your site for the first time. Your 2 new mug rugs catch the eye. The pattern is so well placed and balanced your eye moves over the pattern but never wants to stray off the edge. Love this. Question on the cookies, about the ground almonds. Do you weigh the almonds and then grind or grind before weighing? How course do you grind? Thank you,
Thanks for stopping by, Patricia. Well, to be honest, I am lazy and purchase ground almonds at the grocery store. If you want to grind them yourself, you would have to skin them first as well, otherwise they will have a darker, more rustic look. Back in the 70s when I was baking with my Mom, we did skin and grind them ourselves. They have to be fairly fine. If you are a precise and accurate worker, you shouldn’t loose too much weight during the grinding process, so it doesn’t really matter at what point you weigh them.
As a quarter German heritage, it was fun to hear your story. I remember cookies similar to these on our Cookie Tray each year at Christmas as a child.
I love baking cookies at Christmas time. Cute wreath.
Love your mug rugs! My ancestors were “Germans from Russia”. I love reading about traditions and memories from other Germans. Thank you for this great post 🙂
Cute holiday mug rugs. Thank you sharing the recipe and the chance to win the pattern.
Your mug rugs are so cute. Thanks for the recipe. I downloaded it so I can try them. They do sound good. Merry Christmas.
Haven’t had these cookies in years my ex’s grandmother used to make these every year. She also made some kind of braided roll filled with fruit and nuts but sadly the recipes went with her when she passed, she didn’t have them written down anywhere. Now I can try to make the cookies. Thank you for this post and the chance to win your mug rug patterns.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I learned a couple of things for sure, and your mug rug designs are unusual and quite lovely. Thanks
Very pretty mug rugs and what awesome memories of growing up. Thank you so much for sharing such special memories.
Those cookies look delicious! And such cute mug rugs! xx
Your recipe sounds wonderful and your mug rugs are really cute! Thanks for sharing.
The cookies look delicious, and the mug rugs are lovely. Thanks for sharing, and Merry Christmas to you!
The cookies look delicious. I need to get a scale for measuring ingredients. Your mug rug patterns are so pretty.
What beautiful mug rug designs! Thank you for sharing your creativity with us! Many Blessings for a Merry Christmas!
Beautiful mug rugs! Such simple works of art. Thank you for the opportunity to win them. And your cookies sound yummy!
What a beautiful mug rug. Thanks for the chance to win your pattern
Your recipe and mug rugs are truly festive and pretty. Is the vanillekipferl a recipe for a beginner baker? I am kind of new to baking holiday treats.
Vanillekipferl are not difficult to make, a beginner should be fine. The only thing out of the ordinary is scraping the seeds out of a vanilla bean, and I am sure there are lots of instructions to be found online on how to do that. And make sure you let the dough sit in the fridge until it is nice and cool, or it will be too sticky. Good luck and thanks for stopping by!