Almond Pistachio Crescent Cookies

These tiny Almond Pistachio Crescent Cookies are a twist on the traditional French vanillekipferl (or “croissants de lune” in French) , which are part of the bredele cookie spread served for St Nicholas Day, or Christmas, in Alsace. Usually flavoured with vanilla, this version packs on nutty flavours, with loads of ground almond, pistachio and a dash of almond extract.

Shaped as moon crescents, these cookies are dusted in icing sugar and crushed pistachio. Their texture is flaky and delicate, with a melt-in-your-mouth finish. They are great for your Christmas cookie swap.

Cooking notes:

• Refrigerating the dough for a minimum one hour minimum is essential for the butter to harden again and for the cookies to get their signature flaky texture. After 1 hour in the fridge, the dough becomes quite fragile, and you might feel like it is difficult to shape the cookies into crescents without breaking them. It takes a bit of practice … but after a few tries, you will get the hang of it.

If you try these Almond Pistachio Crescent Cookies, let me know!  Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram tagging @pardonyourfrench or using #pardonyourfrench. I’d love to see what you come up with.  

Bon Appétit!

Almond Pistachio Crescent Cookies

Print Recipe

Serves: 24 cookies Prep Time: 1 h 20 minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.7/5

( 7 voted )

Ingredients

For the cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground almond
1/4 cup ground pistachio
1 cup butter (cold)
1 teaspoon almond extract

For dusting:
1/3 cup icing sugar
¼ ground pistachio
¼ ground almond

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, ground almond and ground pistachio.

Dice the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the dry ingredients, along with the almond extract. Mix until the butter is incorporated and the dough comes together into a rough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Pre-heat your oven to 340F, prepare two parchment lined baking sheets and take the dough out of the fridge.
Shape the dough into 1-tbsp balls. On a floured working surface, using the two palms of your hands, roll out each ball to a small log and shape it in a crescent shape. The recipe makes for about 24 crescent cookies.

Bake the first sheet of cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, on the middle rack of your oven. The cookies should be slightly golden on the edges and still a bit soft in the middle. Remove the cookies and transfer them directly onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the second baking sheet.

For dusting, mix together the sugar, pistachio and almond. Dust the cookies generously.

Try more Alsatian Bredeles!

• Speculoos Cookies
• Honey & Citrus Spiced Bread