Nut Crescents

December 9, 2009  //  29 Comments »
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Also known as Nut Horns. Also very, very similar to the ever-popular Snowballs a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies a.k.a. Russian Tea Cookies. So many different names! These cookies are made of a buttery, shortbread style dough with ground nuts. After they are baked and cooled they are rolled in powdered sugar, giving the cookies a sugary-sweet kiss that will have all the kids running (be on the lookout for white fingerprints!). The original recipe calls for a mix of walnuts and almonds, but I decided to go with all walnuts; I love walnuts much more than almonds and I had a big bag of them thanks to a recent stock-up trip to Sam’s Club. This is a great cookie to include in Christmas tins or baskets, as they keep well at room temperature for about a week.

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I am adding these cookies to the virtual cookie jar as part of the 12 Days of Sharing to help end childhood hunger. The campaign is hosted by the Share Our Strength organization, with the idea of the virtual cookie jar being run by Jennie of In Jennie’s Kitchen. Bloggers are encouraged to bake and blog about a holiday baked good for the cookie jar, while promoting the 12 Days of Sharing campaign. Clicking on the badge you see below will take you to a donation page. If you feel so inclined, you can make a donation of any amount to the campaign. Anyone who makes a donation, no matter the amount, is eligible to win some great kitchen-related prizes.

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Virtual Cookie Jar: All of the wonderful recipes that have been submitted by fellow bloggers.

The Giveaways: A list of all of the prizes being given away to some lucky givers!

MY OTHER RECIPES

How to Participate (FAQ): Details on how to participate in the virtual cookie swap.

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More holiday cookie favorites:
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Chip Tea Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Empire Cookies

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Nut Crescents

Yield: About 30 cookies

Prep:1 hour 30 minutes

Cook:16 to 18 minutes

Total:2 hours

Ingredients:

1¼ cups walnut halves
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and let cool completely. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, combine ½ cup flour with the toasted nuts, and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour-nut mixture and the remaining 1 cup flour and the salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and ½ cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two batches, and beat until combined.

4. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a 3-inch log. Using your fingers, shape log into a crescent, tapering the ends slightly so that the center is the widest part. Repeat with remaining dough, placing crescents about 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Freeze or refrigerate until crescents are very firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool, 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to the rack to cool completely. Place the remaining 1 cup sugar in a shallow bowl and roll cookies in it to coat completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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(Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

All images and text ©Brown Eyed Baker, LLC.

posted in Cookies
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