Cinnamon Almond Crescents Food

ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt; mix briefly to incorporate. Gradually stir 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour into the creamed butter, add almonds, and mix until dough is just combined.
• Shape dough into tiny crescents; place on an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Roll cookies in sifted confectioners' sugar when cooled.

CINNAMON CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and egg. Divide into three portions; shape each portion into a ball., Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle a third over a pastry board or a surface. Roll one ball into a 12-in. circle; cut into 12 wedges. Roll up from wide edge. Repeat with the remaining dough and cinnamon sugar. Place rolls with point side down on a lightly greased baking sheets; form into crescent shapes. Bake at 350° for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned (do not overbake)., For optional glaze, combine confectioners' sugar, cinnamon and milk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled crescents.

ALMOND CINNAMON CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Cream butter with 3 tablespoons sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add nuts and flour; mix well.
• Chill dough for easier handling.
• Roll into small pencil thickness logs and shape into crescents.
• Place on greased cookie sheets and bake at 325° for about 18 minutes.
• While cookies are hot, roll in mixture of the confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.

ALMOND CRESCENTS II

Steps:

• Mix together shortening, butter and almonds. Sift in flour and salt. Add vanilla.
• Chill dough until firm.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Roll dough with hands into 3 inch lengths, pencil thick. Form into crescents on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just slightly brown -- about 16 minutes. Cool on pan
• While still slightly warm, carefully dip in a mixture of confectioner's sugar and cinnamon. These are extremely fragile cookies -- handle with care!

ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, combine the flour, almonds and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , Divide dough into fourths. Roll out each portion into a long rope, about 1/4 in. diameter. Cut into 2-in. lengths. Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets; form each into a crescent. , Bake at 325° for 14-16 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes. In a shallow bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cinnamon; roll warm cookies in sugar mixture. Place on wire racks to cool completely.

ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350° In a large bowl beat butter until fluffy, add sugar and beat again until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add nuts, flour ** (add 2 cups to start and 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 8 tablespoons if needed See Note Above!) ) and salt. Beat on low until combined.
• Bring dough together with your fingers. Break off small pieces and form into a crescent shape. Place on un-greased cookie sheets and bake for approximately 15 minutes . While cookies are still warm roll in icing/powdered sugar or let cool and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!

ALMOND CRESCENTS (KOURABIEDES)

Steps:

• Spread ground almonds in a shallow pan and toast in a 350F degrees oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
• In a bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar and egg yolk, mixing well. Stir in brandy or vanilla and almonds.
• In another bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, blending until smooth.
• Pinch off walnut-size pieces of dough and shape into crescents. Place on ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart.
• Bake in a 325F degree oven for 30 minutes or until very lightly browned. Place baking sheets on racks and let cookies cool for 5 minutes.
• Sift about half the 1-1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar over wax paper and transfer cookies to it. Sift the remaining 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar over top to cover cookies. Let stand until cool, then store in a tightly covered container.

ALMOND CRESCENTS

Steps:

• In a food processor, process the almonds and sugar until the almonds are ground very finely. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and sprinkle the salt on top. Pulse it just until the flour is incorporated.
• Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it into a thick disk and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 2 hours.
• For the topping, stir together the sugar and cinnamon until uniform in color.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Divide the dough into 8 portions. Work with 1 section at a time, keeping the remainder of the dough refrigerated. Knead the dough between floured hands until malleable. Pinch off a portion of the dough and roll it into a 1-inch-round ball.
• On a lightly floured counter, roll each ball into a cylinder with tapered ends, about 3 inches long by 1/2 inch thick. Form each cylinder into a crescent shape and place on an ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. The cookies will require two cookie sheets, one for the middle rack in the oven and one for the lower one.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until set but not brown. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.
• Cool the cookies on the sheets for 10 minutes. While they are still warm, use a small angled metal spatula or pancake turner to lift them from the sheets and dip them, one at a time, in the cinnamon sugar, turning gently to coat all over. Finish cooling the cookies on wire racks.
• To store, place the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month or freeze for as many as several months.

CINNAMON ALMOND BRAID

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with parchment. Unroll crescent dough into prepared pan; seal seams and perforations. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. , Combine the almonds, butter, extract and remaining sugar; spread lengthwise down the center of dough. On each long side, cut 1-in.-wide strips about 2-1/2 in. into center. Starting at 1 end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. , Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack. For icing, in a bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, extract and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over braid; sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm.

HAZELNUT CINNAMON CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup sugar, nuts, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in processor. Using on/off turns, process until nuts are finely ground. Add butter in 4 additions, processing to blend after each addition. Add almond extract; process to blend. Add flour and cinnamon. Using on/off turns, process until dough comes together. Transfer to work surface. Form dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Measure 1 tablespoon dough; form into ball, then roll into 2 1/2-inch-long log, tapering slightly at both ends. Gently bend into crescent shape. (If dough is very cold, it may form cracks; smooth over cracks before continuing.) Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies until slightly puffed and edges turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Sift remaining 1 cup sugar over hot cookies. Cool completely on sheets on rack. Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar remaining on sheets. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.
• Good to go:
• The hazelnut crescents and ginger cookies would both ship well. To make sure they arrive intact, pack the cookies in a metal tin between sheets of waxed paper. Ball up some waxed paper to place on top of the final cookie layer to make sure the cookies don't shift and break in transit.

CINNAMON ALMOND CRESCENTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and almonds; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll into 1 inch balls; shape into crescents. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until set (do not brown).
• In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll warm cookies in cinnamon sugar; cool on wire racks.