Almond Crescents # 2

Almond crescents are a holiday cookie staple from Vienna to Pennsylvania Dutch country, and the cornstarch in this recipe is what sets it apart from a basic shortbread. A quarter cup of cornstarch alongside the flour creates an unusually tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth crumb that holds the crescent shape but practically dissolves on the tongue.

Ground toasted almonds are the flavor backbone. A full cup and a half goes into the dough, which is more than most crescent recipes call for. The toasting step matters. Untoasted ground almonds taste muted and pasty. Five minutes in a 350°F (175°C) oven before grinding wakes up the oils and concentrates the flavor.

The finishing options are split between two camps. Chocolate-drizzled crescents look festive and add a contrasting flavor. Powdered-sugar dusted crescents are the more traditional Viennese style, often called Vanillekipferl. Both work, and you can do half the batch each way.

Pro Tips

• Grind the almonds in a food processor with a tablespoon of flour to keep them from turning into nut butter.
• Shape the crescents on the cookie sheet itself rather than transferring shaped cookies. The dough is fragile and breaks easily.
• Cool 1 minute on the sheet before transferring. Right out of the oven, these are too tender to handle without crumbling.
• Use the resealable bag method for the chocolate drizzle. It gives you control without the fuss of a piping bag.

Variations

• Roll warm crescents in vanilla sugar (sugar that’s sat with a vanilla bean) for the traditional Austrian Vanillekipferl finish.
• Substitute hazelnuts for half the almonds for an Italian-Austrian hybrid.
• Dip one end of each cooled crescent in melted chocolate instead of drizzling for a cleaner look.