Walnut Crescent Cookies are absolutely melt in your mouth delicious and make incredible Christmas gifts. In my many years working at The Lion King on Broadway, I tasted many different treats brought into the theater, especially during the holidays. The incredible diversity of the people that worked at the Minskoff made for a fabulous mixture of holiday traditions from the South Africans with their Babotie to the Brits and the Aussies who brought mince pies. There was an incredible array of treats that we all got to sample. I have made a great post about Babotie, this national dish from South Africa, and it is delicious.
One of my favorites was this tin of crescent cookies I eagerly looked for each year from the cleaning ladies. At the Minskoff, all the cleaning crew are from Eastern European countries. They have been cleaning the theater for many years and were an essential part of how the theater was run. Many people don’t realize how many people work backstage and make the show function. I always made sure to say hello to them every day and always had a great laugh with them if we rode down in the elevator at the end of the day.
The Walnut Crescent Cookies are a simple of ground walnuts, butter, and vanilla. They are not very sweet but utterly addictive. Unfortunately, it has taken me a long time to figure out the recipe. I asked them over and over for the recipe, and the ladies kept promising to bring it for me. But I think the twinkle in their eyes as they promised meant they were keeping them a secret!
The dough comes together easily and quickly. Though these cookies need to chill, it is only 30 minutes to let the butter meld with the ground walnuts. The recipe calls for vanilla sugar. You can skip it or buy some from Amazon if you don’t have any. I make mine any time I have a vanilla bean, I clean the bean off after using it and bury it in a jar of sugar. Over time the sugar with several beans in the jar will take on the vanilla flavor. The sugar is great in tea and coffee or sprinkled on baked goods like these walnut crescent cookies. A 1-tablespoon cookie scoop is invaluable here.
Ok, that is all for now. I hope you all had a great holiday, which is just the beginning of the season. Please think of others in your choices. Together we can get through these crazy times. Until next time!
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/3 cups finely ground walnuts
- 1 vanilla bean split seeds scraped or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup unsalted butter chilled very cold
- 4 tablespoons fine vanilla sugar homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup powdered sugar
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Mix flour, powdered sugar, walnuts, vanilla bean seeds a large bowl.
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Grate the butter using a hand grater coarsely over the walnut mixture.
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Using clean hands, work the butter into the walnut mixture until you have formed a dough. It will start out crumbly but come together in about 2-3 minutes.
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Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
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While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 400°
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In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine the vanilla sugar and the powdered sugar and set aside.
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Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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When the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge.
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Measure out 1 tablespoon of dough. I like to use a cookie scoop to keep them even.
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Roll the dough piece into a ball and then into a log about ½ inch thick and less than 3 inches long.
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Bend the roll into a crescent shape and place it on the lined baking sheets.
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Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing each crescent about 1 inch apart.
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Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. The cookies should just barely be golden on the edges.
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Let the first tray cool as you cook the second.
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When the cookies are cool to the touch and have firmed up, dip the cookies into the rolling sugar mixture. And place them on a tray. Be careful, the cookies are very delicate, and if they are still too warm, they may crumble.
These cookies keep for several weeks if you can keep your hands away from them.
