Whole Wheat Viennese Vanilla Crescents
These famous melt-in-the-mouth German-Austrian cookies are usually made with white flour, so we were intrigued when we ran across a German recipe for whole wheat crescents. The whole wheat flour gives the cookies a deeper, nuttier flavor. If it matters, they're also higher in fiber than usual. These cookies must sit for at least 10 days to allow the flavor of the vanilla to develop. They're worth the wait.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (about 5 ounces) unshelled almonds, finely ground
2 vanilla beans, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scraped (reserve pods)
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into bits
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, as needed
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for dusting cookies
Steps
Place flours, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, salt, almonds, and scraped seeds from vanilla beans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixed. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Dough can also be mixed by hand; place ingredients in a bowl, then work in butter with a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips.) Pulse or stir in egg yolks, and enough water to make a dough that clings together.
Divide dough in half and roll into 2 logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove one log from the refrigerator and cut 1/2-inch slices from it. Roll each piece of dough into a rope about 3 inches long, then bend into a crescent shape, slightly tapering ends. Place crescents on ungreased baking sheets. Keep unbaked cookies and dough in the refrigerator while other cookies bake.
Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm but not browned. Let cool on baking sheets for a minute, then dip warm cookies in confectioners'-granulated sugar mix. Place on wire racks. Handle cookies gently; they are fragile. Cover any leftover dusting sugar and set aside.
When all the cookies are baked and cooled, place the scraped vanilla pods in a cookie tin or other container with a tight-fitting lid. Gently lay cookies in container. Cover tightly and let stand for at least 10 days and preferably two to three weeks. Dust with additional sugar before serving.
Divide dough in half and roll into 2 logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove one log from the refrigerator and cut 1/2-inch slices from it. Roll each piece of dough into a rope about 3 inches long, then bend into a crescent shape, slightly tapering ends. Place crescents on ungreased baking sheets. Keep unbaked cookies and dough in the refrigerator while other cookies bake.
Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm but not browned. Let cool on baking sheets for a minute, then dip warm cookies in confectioners'-granulated sugar mix. Place on wire racks. Handle cookies gently; they are fragile. Cover any leftover dusting sugar and set aside.
When all the cookies are baked and cooled, place the scraped vanilla pods in a cookie tin or other container with a tight-fitting lid. Gently lay cookies in container. Cover tightly and let stand for at least 10 days and preferably two to three weeks. Dust with additional sugar before serving.
Additional tips
Store: In an airtight container
Freeze: Yes
Mail: No
Freeze: Yes
Mail: No
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