Try this Almond Crescent Cookies recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 196.029900000058 g
- Cholesterol 244.025000206287 mg
- Fat 92.0703700778228 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0.967270000815552 g
- Saturated Fat 58.3047000492862 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (313g)
- Sodium 654.218000552656 mg
- Sugar 196.029900000058 g
- Trans Fat 6.44588200544788 g
- Calories 1583 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.*
- Place 1 cup of slivered almonds in a food processor or magic bullet and grind as fine as you can get it with no big chunks.
- In a mixer combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined.
- (Remove whisk from mixer and replace with the paddle attachment)
- Alternately add the ground almonds and flour a little at a time until a dough forms. It will be crumbly, but should stick together when pinched with your fingers.
- Form dough into 1 inch balls and then shape into a crescent.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove to cool on a wire rack. Be careful when they are warm, they are very delicate.
- Dust with powdered sugar and ENJOY!
Bakers frequently err by purchasing pre-ground nut meals that have already oxidized and lost their volatile aromatics, yielding a flat flavor profile instead of the vibrant nuttiness required for shortbread-style pastries. Utilizing whole slivered almonds and processing them at home ensures the natural oils remain intact, which directly contributes to the crumbly texture characteristic of traditional European holiday confections like the Austrian Vanillekipferl. Grinding the nuts until extremely fine prevents gritty pockets from forming in the dough, while chilling the butter slightly if your kitchen exceeds 70 degrees prevents the fats from breaking prematurely during the mixing phase.
Creaming the softened butter and granulated sugar requires beating until the mixture turns pale and increases in volume, incorporating tiny air pockets that help the dense flour-and-nut matrix expand gently in the 350-degree oven without chemical leaveners. Incorporating the ground almonds and flour alternately prevents gluten strands from overdeveloping, maintaining a tender crumb that dissolves rather than chews upon consumption. Switch from a wire whisk to a flat paddle attachment before adding the dry ingredients, as high-speed wire whips generate excessive friction and heat up the butter.
Shaping the dough into uniform one-inch balls before tapering the ends into curves ensures even heat distribution and consistent baking times between fifteen and twenty minutes. Watch the undersides closely for a pale golden hue rather than relying on top coloration, removing the tray only when the edges show the faintest hint of warmth. Transferring these fragile morsels immediately can cause structural failure, so allow them to rest on the hot baking sheet for precisely five minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.
Dusting the cookies with powdered sugar twice yields the best appearance and sweetness level, applying a preliminary coating while they remain slightly warm to create a moisture barrier, followed by a final heavy snowfall once fully cooled to room temperature. Storing these baked goods in an airtight metal tin lined with parchment paper preserves their fragile crumb for up to one week without absorbing unwanted odors from surrounding foods.
