Vanilla crescent cookies with walnuts

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Make the dough

   Sift the flour into a bowl and mix it with the ground walnuts and powdered sugar. Add the cold butter, cut into cubes, and the egg yolks.

   Quickly work everything into a smooth dough by hand or with the dough hooks of a stand mixer. Do not knead it for long, so the butter does not melt and the crescents stay crumbly.

2. Let the dough rest

   Divide the dough into three parts, roll each into a log about 3 cm thick, wrap the logs in plastic wrap and let them rest in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.

3. Shape the crescents

   Preheat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F), conventional (top and bottom heat), and line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut off pieces of 10 g from a log, roll each between your palms into a rope about 6 cm long with tapered ends and bend it into a crescent.

   Place the crescents on the baking sheet about 2 cm apart. Meanwhile, keep the rest of the dough wrapped in the refrigerator so it does not soften.

4. Bake

   Bake one sheet at a time for 10–12 minutes, until the crescents are light golden on the bottom and at the tips. The top should stay pale; longer baking makes the crescents dry.

5. Coat in vanilla sugar

   Mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla sugar in a shallow bowl. Let the baked crescents cool on the baking sheet for 2–3 minutes, because they break when hot. While still warm, gently roll them in the sugar and place them on a plate.

   Once cooled, you can roll them in the sugar once more.

6. Storage

   Store the crescents in a tin in a cool place. They keep for 2–3 weeks and become even more tender after a few days.

Tip: If the chilled dough cracks while you shape it, let the log stand on the counter for a few minutes until it softens slightly; the ropes will then roll out smoothly.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Vanilkové rožky s vlašskými orechmi