Nut Crescents
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 3/4 cup blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Spread walnuts and almonds 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.
- In a food processor, combine 1/2 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.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1/2 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Follow instructions for Nut Crescents, replacing all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 cups spelt flour and substituting 1/2 cup blanched (about 2 1/2 ounces) hazelnuts for the walnuts.
- The dough is first rolled into logs, then curved into tapered crescents before baking.
walnut halves, blanched almonds, flour, salt, unsalted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/nut-crescents-390162 (may not work)