Authentic European Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Total Time

Prep: 55 min. Cook: 30 min.

Makes

10 servings

Updated: Apr. 05, 2024

This is the real mccoy when it comes to European vanilla crescent cookies. No other vanilla crescents come close to these, in my opinion. Straight from my Czech mother-in-law based on an Austro-Hungarian recipe she learned. It is traditionally a Christmas cookie, but they taste great all year long. My own secret to making them delectable (even better than my mother-in-law's) is to use roasted hazelnuts/filberts instead of raw. They melt in your mouth unlike other vanilla crescents.

Authentic European Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Ingredients

155 grams butter, softened (5.5 oz)
50 grams confectioner's sugar (1.8 oz)
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla (or equivalent vanilla flavoring in vanilla sugar, usually 1 packet)
1/2 tsp salt
210 grams all-purpose flour (7.4 oz)
100 grams very finely chopped almonds or filberts (highly recommend roasted filberts)
1 packet vanilla sugar (equiv to 1-2 tsp vanilla flavoring) mixed with 1.5 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla or vanilla sugar, and salt. Then beat in the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Add very finely chopped nuts, continuing to beat until the mixture becomes a slightly stiff dough. [Note: The food processor "S" blade or nut chopper does a great job of finely chopping the nuts.]

Cover the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Form walnut-size pieces of dough into crescent shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 15-20 mins or until golden brown on the bottom. They enlarge slightly as they bake.

While still warm (but not hot), gently roll in the confectioner's sugar/vanilla sugar mixture. Do not pile on top of each other. When cookies are thoroughly cool, roll them a second time and then store in an airtight container. These will keep for several weeks, if they last that long.