Viennese Crescents

Viennese Crescents

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup walnuts

8 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1) Preheat an oven to 325F.

2) In a food processor, combine the flour, walnuts, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Then process continuously until the dough begins to gather together.

3) Pinch off 2 teaspoons of the dough and roll it between your palms to form a rope 2 1/2 inches long, slightly tapering it at both ends. On a large ungreased baking sheet, arrange the rope in a crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the crescents about 1 inch apart.

4) Bake until just firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.

5) Using a sieve, sift a light dusting of confectioners' sugar over the cooled cookies. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Makes about 24 cookies.