Introduction: Vanilla and Walnut Crescent Cookies
These cookies are usually made for Christmas in quite a few European countries. They might vary slightly from country to country but everywhere they taste divine! Even though they are mainly baked in December, they can be enjoyed all year round with a cup of your favourite tea or coffee.
This recipe below has been in my family for a good few years but truth to be told I had not tried this one until this year. I made some last year for the first time, which turned out well but this year it was all about the family recipe. So here they are, ready to be enjoyed with family and friends.
Enjoy our easy recipes!
Step 1: Ingredients:
350g Plain Flour
250g Unsalted Butter (or Margarine)
100g Icing Sugar
120g Ground Walnuts
+ 2 Table spoons Vanilla Flavoured Sugar and/or 2 Table spoons Icing Sugar for coating
Makes: about 40 cookies
Time: Preparation: 15 mins + Baking: 8-10 mins, Resting in the fridge: 30-45 mins
Step 2: Method:
Sift plain flour & icing sugar in a
large bowl. Add ground walnuts. Grate in the soften butter (it will be easier to form the dough) and using your hand form a dough. Put the dough in a plastic bag and place it in a fridge for 30 – 45 minutes.
Meanwhile:
Mix the extra icing sugar with vanilla flavoured sugar and set aside for later.
Step 3: 30-45 Minutes Later:
Take only a small amount of the dough out from the fridge. Roll it into a sausage (not too thick or too thin – max 1.5cm in diameter). Cut the sausage into 10-12 cm long pieces. Take one piece using both hands and form a U shape. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Make sure there is enough space between them (about 1.5 cm) so they won’t stick to each other while baking.
Bake at 200 °C for 8 -10 minutes.
Take out from the oven and let them cool completely before removing them from the tray.
TIP:
To save time, energy and most importantly to make sure your crescent cookies won’t break, it is best to use 2 or more baking trays (depending on the type of your oven – some ovens bake evenly if more trays put in, other ones don’t. If yours doesn’t bake evenly, then wait until your cookies are ready and put another tray in. Do not try to move the hot cookies from the tray. At that point they tend to break easily!)
Once the cookies are cooled off, coat them in the vanilla/icing sugar mix.
Enjoy with a cup of your favourite tea or coffee!
Storage:
These cookies will last up to 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container.