German crescent cookies
Your family will love this buttery cookie made with ground nuts and covered with powdered vanilla sugar.
Photo by Karen Herman
MAKES 3–4 DOZEN
A German crescent is a buttery cookie made with ground nuts and covered with powdered vanilla sugar.
2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch, kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted and divided
¾ cup ground hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds
½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (optional)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, butter, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ground nuts and vanilla seeds. Starting out on a lower speed—so flour does not fly all over the kitchen—mix until a crumbly dough forms (about 2 minutes), gradually increasing the speed to medium. Using your hands, press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking or cookie sheets with parchment paper. Working quickly, pinch off about a teaspoon of dough and roll between palms to ½-inch thickness and 2 to 3 inches long. Taper the ends, form into a crescent shape and place on baking sheet. The crescents do not have to be perfect but try to make them even in size. Bake 13–15 minutes until edges are golden. Do not brown.
While cookies are baking, combine remaining powdered sugar and vanilla sugar in a small bowl. After removing cookies from oven, sprinkle with sugar mixture while cookies are hot. Allow to cool completely and then sprinkle generously again.
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Tips & techniques
True oven temperatures. You can’t always trust your oven temperature setting to be accurate. Experience has taught me that oven temps can be off by as much as 30 degrees. I suggest a backup oven thermometer as a fail-safe measure. Always check this backup to confirm the temperature before placing items in the oven, and replace the backup yearly.
Which comes first? In recipes calling for lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice, always zest the lemon first before juicing it.
How to make vanilla sugar. Make vanilla-flavored sugar by putting a scraped vanilla bean in a mason jar filled with sugar. Close the lid tightly and store in a cool dry place for about a week. Use in baked goods, desserts, beverages and savory dishes.
What if you don’t have parchment paper? Substitute with wax paper, or lightly coat your cookie or baking sheet with cooking spray.
Sifting for success. Always sift powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar) to remove lumps before adding it to other ingredients. This will result in a smoother batter or glaze.
Tips for working with dough
- When rolling out dough, if it becomes sticky and starts to cling to the rolling pin, dust both dough and rolling pin with additional flour.
- The yield for cookies will vary, depending on the size of the cookie cutter.
- If you become distracted while rolling out dough, rewrap it and return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to complete the task.
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