Almond pudding, butter, and a delicate dough come together to create tender crescents that literally melt in your mouth. This less traditional Christmas cookie will pleasantly enrich your holiday selection, while still keeping its classic character.
Preparation is easy, you just need to allow the dough to rest overnight. You can shape the crescents using a meat grinder with a cookie attachment, or simply by hand. While still warm, roll them in cinnamon sugar and, if you like, dip the ends in chocolate.
What You’ll Need
For the dough:
- 220 g plain flour,
- 100 g powdered sugar,
- 120 g butter,
- 2 egg yolks,
- 1 packet almond pudding powder,
- 2 tablespoons milk.
For finishing:
- powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon,
- chocolate for coating.
The original recipe doesn’t specify the exact amount of ingredients for finishing, so simply adjust to the number of baked crescents and your taste.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Making the crumb mixture: Mix the plain flour with powdered sugar and almond pudding powder. Add the butter and work all the ingredients together until you get an even crumbly mixture.
2. Kneading the dough: Add two egg yolks and two tablespoons of milk to the prepared crumb mixture. Work everything thoroughly until you have a smooth, compact dough suitable for shaping later.
3. Resting overnight: Wrap the finished dough in cling film and refrigerate overnight. Do not skip this step, as chilled dough is much easier to work with when shaping the crescents.
4. Shaping the crescents: Gradually press the rested dough through a meat grinder with a cookie attachment. Cut the extruded sticks into equally long pieces and gently bend them into crescent shapes. If you don’t have a grinder, you can shape the crescents by hand.
5. Baking: Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the prepared crescents for about 10–15 minutes. Also keep an eye on their appearance and remove them from the oven once they turn golden.
6. Coating and decorating: Let the baked crescents cool only slightly. While still warm, roll them in powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon. If you wish, dip the ends in melted chocolate.
7. Setting and resting: Place the chocolate-dipped crescents on baking paper and let the coating set completely so the pieces don’t stick together. Store the finished cookies in a cool place and let them rest for several days, as that’s when their flavor is at its best.
How to Shape Crescents Without a Grinder
If you don’t have a meat grinder with a cookie attachment, you can also make the crescents by hand. Take small pieces from the chilled dough, roll them into sticks, and bend the ends toward each other. Try to keep the size similar so all the pieces bake evenly.
How to Enhance the Almond Flavor
For a more pronounced almond taste, you can add a few drops of almond extract to the dough. Add it together with the egg yolks and milk so it distributes evenly. This will give the crescents a more intense aroma without changing the basic preparation process.
Final Tip
Let the chocolate coating set completely on baking paper before storing the crescents. They reach their best flavor and texture after resting in a cool place for several days, so you can prepare them ahead of time as part of your Christmas cookie selection.
