Crescent Moon Almond Cookies
Buttery, lightly spiced and not too sweet, these are the ultimate Viennese crescent cookies. Perfect for the holidays, and for a Santa snack.
Servings 15
Calories 292kcal
Ingredients
FOR CRESCENT MOON ALMOND COOKIES:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup almond meal or flour
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
FOR THE SPICED POWDERED SUGAR:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup almond meal or flour, ½ cup confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract and ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom. Turn the mixer on low speed (to prevent the dreaded flour cloud) until its safe to mix at medium speed. Blend for about 1 minute until it forms a cohesive dough.
- With your hands, form the dough into a ball and cut it into quarters. Roll each into a ball and then, roll each ball into a rope that's about 1" in diameter (use a ruler to measure). Use a ruler or pastry scraper with measurement indicators to cut the rope into 1" pieces.
- Roll each piece into a smaller rope that measures 4 inches long (use a ruler to keep them even).
- Use your fingers to curve each 4-inch "rope" into a crescent and pinch and form the ends so that they gradually end in small points. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper about 1" apart.
- Continue in this method with the remainder of the dough balls.
- Transfer the shaped crescent cookies to the refrigerator and let chill for 20 minutes before baking. Note, this is important for the cookies to hold their shape. If you skip this step, they won't look like crescents.
- Position the oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°.
- When the cookies are chilled and the oven is heated, transfer the cookies to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies just start to take on a pale golden color.
- While the cookies bake, mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon ground cardamom in a wide shallow dish (like a pie plate) and set aside.
- Allow the almond crescent cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them individually to the confectioners sugar mixture. Dip and sprinkle the crescents in the sugar until well coated, then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Store cookies in an airtight container, with each layer separated by a piece of parchment paper. Cookies will keep for 2-3 days if they don't get gobbled up first.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- You can freeze cookie dough to shape later. It will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months, well-wrapped in plastic and freezer paper. Defrost before rolling into crescents.
- You can freeze baked cookies in single layers separated by parchment paper in a freezer-safe container, but do not roll them in powdered sugar first. Defrost the cookies thoroughly and then dust them with the spiced powdered sugar mixture.
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg