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!
- 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
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla, flour and nuts.
- Beat until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop out 2 tsps of dough and form into a crescent shape.
- Repeat with remaining dough, placing about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 15 minutes, they won't look browned, they should still be light in color when finished.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Enter below for your chance to enter to win one of these Amazon gift cards to make holiday shopping a bit easier! Thank you for supporting my blog and don’t miss all of the other talented bloggers in today’s round-up! Happy Holidays!
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I love making fudge with my Nana every year. SO good! Thanks for the great giveaway!
You bet, Emily! Those memories baking with family are priceless. 🙂
My MIL makes those cookies too, although these last couple years she hasn’t had the strength to spend all day in the kitchen like she used to.
Happy Holidays to you, Biz!
Chess squares
Love those, too! Good choice Georgette!