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Czech Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Czech vanilla crescent cookies are tender walnut cookies shaped into crescents and baked until their bottoms and tips are lightly golden. Roll them in vanilla bean sugar while warm for a fragrant coating that clings to every curve.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 33 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Czech
Calories: 150
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cookies
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg yolk large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup walnuts finely ground
  • 0.25 tsp salt
For the coating
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped

Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets

Method
 

Make the cookies
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Beat the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
  4. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined.
  5. Whisk the flour, ground walnuts, and salt in a medium bowl.
  6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms.
  7. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  8. Divide the dough into 36 portions.
  9. Roll each portion into a rope about 2 1/2 inches long.
  10. Bend the ends of each rope to form crescents and arrange them on the prepared sheets.
  11. Bake for 10–13 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through, until the bottoms and tips are lightly golden and the tops remain pale.
  12. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 2 minutes.
Coat the cookies
  1. Rub the vanilla bean seeds into the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl until evenly distributed.
  2. Gently roll each warm cookie in the vanilla sugar.
  3. Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely.

Notes

For clean crescents, shape the dough while chilled and roll the cookies in vanilla sugar while warm. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week; freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months.