Hazelnut Crescents

These Hazelnut Crescents are one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes.  My Nana made these every year, but she would often use walnuts. You can use any nut you love, I happen to be a big hazelnut fan.  I’m thinking that these would be amazing drizzled in melted bittersweet chocolate.  I should have thought of that sooner!

I really miss getting my Nana’s cookie tins.  She’s 95 and doesn’t cook or bake anymore, but I’m very grateful that we still have her in our lives.  She’s an amazing lady.  She’ll tell you that she owes her longevity to Jack LaLanne and all the exercise she did over the years.  🙂 Keep moving, ya’ll, it’s the fountain of youth!

Every Christmas, when I was growing up, she would make a huge variety of cookies and package them up, beautifully arranged, in a cookie tin.  That tin was such a special delivery every year.   We would wait in anticipation for those treats.

This old German cookie recipe was one of Nana’s  yearly staples and has remained a holiday classic.  There are only a few ingredients and they are really simple to make.  It’s basically a shortbread with nuts and powdered sugar.  Not to mention, they’re really beautiful.  The powdered sugar always made me long for snow.

Welcome to Day 3 of Christmas Week. This annual event was started in 2012, and is hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic. This year we have over 35 bloggers sharing festive sweet recipes for the event. Plus we all chipped in for a huge Amazon Gift Card Giveaway so be sure to enter!

Recipes from Day 3 of Christmas Week! Please visit all our talented participants:

Santa Hats from Cravings of a Lunatic

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies from Try Anything Once Culinary

Mom’s “Special” Hot Chocolate from Desserts Required

Chocolate Truffles from Poet in the Pantry

Candy Cane Fudge from The Redhead Baker

Quince, Cranberry and Persimmon Crisp from Pineapple and Coconut

Cranberry Cake from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen

Gingersnap Cocktail from Cooking on the Front Burner

Hazelnut Crescents from Amee’s Savory Dish

Bacon Butter Toffee from Comfortably Domestic

Christmas Chocolate Beet Brownies from Farm Fresh Feasts

OREO Snowball Cookies from Flour On My Face

Holiday Triple Chocolate Bark from Mother Would Know

Classic Chocolate Crinkles from Daily Appetite

Orange Cardamom Slice and Bake Cookies from Savory Experiments

Homemade Maple Candy from Cooking In Stilettos

Cranberry Cherry Spice Cake Trifle from Food Babbles

Chocolate Walnut Cranberry Pies from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

Cranberry Cake from Lauren Kelly Nutrition

Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake from Big Bear’s Wife

Cream Puffs from Everyday Southwest

Mini No Bake Eggnog Cheesecake from From Gate to Plate

Chewy Sugar Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Pignolata-Italian Honey Balls from Savoring Italy

Sparkly Holiday Cocktail from Dixie Chik Cooks

Homemade Marshmallows from The Tomato Tart

Hazelnuts can be challenging to find in grocery stores before the holiday season begins.  I buy the ones that are pre-chopped and then grind them to a finer texture.  This is the perfect chop for these cookies…

These simple, delicate hazelnut crescent cookies that have been a special part of my family’s Christmas tradition.

I hope that you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!

Hazelnut Crescents

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Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 0:25

Yields 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
• 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts
• sifted powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla, flour and nuts.
4. Beat until thoroughly combined.
5. Scoop out 2 tsps of dough and form into a crescent shape.
6. Repeat with remaining dough, placing about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, they won't look browned, they should still be light in color when finished.
8. Remove from oven and cool completely.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

by Amee Livingston

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