The best buttery melt-in-your mouth almond crescent cookies dusted with icing sugar are a European classic.

My family has a tradition of baking cookies for the holidays. These delicate almond crescent shortbread-like cookies have been our holiday treat for many years. No holiday gathering or cookie exchange would be complete at our house without these incredibly delicious crumbly cookies. But they’re not just for the holidays! These delicious treats pair beautifully with a cup of tea or coffee at any time of the year.

Easy to make and a treat to eat! These snow covered cookies are light and buttery with a delicate almond flavour. Coarsely ground almonds speckle the cookie and create a nice sandy texture. There is something about these nutty, crumbly, dusty, almond-y cookies that no one can resist!

Ingredients needed

Only eight ingredients are needed to make these cookies and that includes the salt, optional almond extract and the icing sugar for dusting! The almond extract is optional but I do recommend using it for the optimum almond flavour. I consider pure almond extract an essential in my pantry right next to my pure vanilla extract.

Almonds
All purpose flour
Salt
Butter
Granulated sugar
Egg
Almond extract (optional)
Icing sugar

How to make

Process the almonds in a food processor until fine but still coarsely ground
Combine the ground almonds with the all purpose flour in a medium bowl
In a large bowl with a mixer, beat butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and almond extract until creamy
Add almond and flour mixture and beat until combined

Once the dough is made

Divide the dough into two and pat them into balls; wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the butter to set
Remove dough from fridge for 10 – 15 minutes; with floured hands form ¾ teaspoons of dough into balls, then keep shaping the balls into cylinders, then bend the cylinders into chubby crescents
Repeat process until all dough is used; place crescent shaped cookies 1” apart on parchment lined baking sheets; keep them cold until baking so the cookies will puff when baked but won’t spread
Bake cookies for 10–12 minutes until lightly golden-brown, let set on the baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely

How to dust the cookies with icing sugar

Once the baked cookies have cooled, spread the icing sugar in a medium bowl or container. Gently toss and roll the cookies in the icing sugar until they are completely coated. Lift each cookie with tongs and gently tap to shake off some of the excess icing sugar before transferring to a platter. If desired, you can dust additional icing sugar on top.

How do I know when the cookies are baked?

Each oven differs, so I recommend you check the cookies at the lesser time of the baking time frame. The cookies are done when they just start to turn lightly-golden brown on the bottom and just light golden on top. They may seem soft when they come out of the oven, but will set when cooled.

What temperature should the dough be for shaping?

Once the dough has been blended it needs to be wrapped and refrigerated for at least two hours for the butter to set. When ready to bake, remove dough from the fridge and it let sit at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before shaping into crescents. If the dough has been refrigerated for a longer time or overnight, allow it to sit a room temperature for 20 – 30 minutes. Ideally the dough should be below fridge temperature but well above room temperature. If the dough is too cold it will be too stiff to shape. If the dough is too warm, the cookies will spread too much when baked.

How many cookies should I end up with?

The yield is about 6 dozen cookies (72 cookies), depending on the size of cookies. I recommend using ¾’s of a tablespoon of dough per cookie. The yield may sound like a lot of cookies but I assure you these two-bite crumbly cookies will disappear fast!

Can I make the cookie dough in advance?

Yes the cookie dough can be made in advance. You can keep the balls of dough in the fridge for 3 – 5 days or in the freezer for two to three months and thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Either way, be sure and wrap the dough really well in plastic wrap and take it out of the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes before shaping.

How do I store cookies?

The cookies keep for weeks when stored properly! Store cookies in an airtight container for two to three weeks in a dark cool place or freeze for 3 months. To thaw frozen cookies, remove cookies from the container to a rack and leave at room temperature for 2 hours.

Need a gift idea?

Fill a decorative tin, box or cellophane bag with these cookies, garnish with pretty ribbon and add a tag. Edible gifts are economical and always appreciated by everyone!

Almond Crescent Cookies

Servings 6 dozen

Ingredients

¾ cup whole almonds coarsely ground
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter at room temperature, 2 sticks
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure almond extract optional
1 cup icing sugar for garnish

Instructions

Process the almonds in a food processor on high speed until fine but still coarsely ground (not ground to a meal). Transfer the almonds to a medium bowl, add the flour and salt and stir to combine.
In a large bowl using a mixer with the paddle attachment (or manually with a spatula), beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.
Add egg and almond extract (if using) and beat to a creamy texture.
Gradually add ground almond and flour mixture and mix well until combined. Dough will be very thick.
Pat dough into two balls and wrap them in plastic wrap. Place dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill.
Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes. (If the dough was refrigerated for longer than 2 hours or overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 20 – 30 minutes.)
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two large baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
Form about ¾’s of a tablespoon of dough into a ball then roll it out into a cylinder about 2” long. Gently bend cylinder to form a stubby crescent shape and place it on the prepared baking sheet spacing them 1” apart. Repeat process until all dough is used. Keep the formed cookies chilled until ready to bake.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow cookies to set on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Place icing sugar in a medium bowl. Working in batches, drop cooled cookies in the bowl, and gently toss until the cookies are completely coated with icing sugar. Use tongs to pick up cookies, shake off excess sugar and transfer to a cookie plate.