Walnut Crescent Cookies

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 10/10/21
Walnut Crescent Cookies

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 36 servings

This crescent cookie recipe is made with ground walnuts. Other types of crescent cookies are made with pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts. 

The key here is to use butter, not margarine, and to use ground or finely chopped nuts.

This cookie is an example of a rolled cookie because crescent shapes are cut out of the rolled-out dough. Alternatively, the dough can become a molded cookie by rolling it into a ball and then shaping it into a crescent on the baking pan.

Another option is to scoop and drop the cookie dough on the baking pan and then flatten it with the bottom of a powdered-sugar-dusted glass. Instead of ending up with a crescent, you will have a full moon!

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 325 F.

    Ingredients for walnut crescent cookies

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. In a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

    beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Add the flour, walnuts, salt, and vanilla; blend to make a smooth dough.

    cookie dough in a bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out with a crescent-shaped cookie cutter or other shapes. Reroll scraps of dough and repeat rolling and cutting.

    rolled out dough with crescent moon shapes cut out

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. Bake cookies on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until set.

    Walnut Crescent Cookies dough on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Let stand for 2 minutes. Roll hot cookies in confectioners' sugar and transfer to wire racks to cool.

    Walnut Crescent Cookies in a bowl with powdered sugar, on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  7. When completely cooled, re-roll cookies with sifted confectioners' sugar before storing in an airtight container.

    Walnut Crescent Cookies on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Tip

  • It's a good idea to roll the baked cookies in confectioner's sugar while still hot so the melting sugar forms a glaze. Re-roll the cooled cookies in confectioner's sugar before storing them.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
71 Calories
4g Fat
7g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 36
Amount per serving
Calories 71
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 7mg 2%
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 18mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)