Almond Crescents
NOTE: These
melt-in-your-mouth cookies get their light, buttery texture from
confectioners' sugar, but it's imperative to sift this sugar to
remove all lumps. Makes about 4 dozen
cookies.
13/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still firm
13/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
11/2 cups blanched whole almonds, ground in food processor until quite fine
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-and lower-middle positions. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with electric mixer, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
3. Add ground almonds and flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined, about 40 seconds.
4. Working with 1 tablespoon of dough each time, roll dough into 11/4-inch balls. Roll each ball between hands into rope that measures 3 inches long (see figure 13). Shape ropes into crescents on ungreased cookie sheet (see figure 14), spacing them 1 to 11/2 inches apart.
5. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until edges of cookies are golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheet about 2 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack with wide spatula.
6. When cookies have completely cooled, roll them in remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar until evenly coated (see figure 15).
VARIATION:
Pecan or Walnut Crescents
Follow Master Recipe, substituting 13/4 cups pecans or walnuts for almonds. Omit almond extract.