Delicate Walnut Crescents

Mom loves these cookies. Not only did she enjoy them when I made them, as her recipe notes below, she marked them as "*Delicious." As you can see, the red pen that Mom used to write out the recipe below did not stand the test of time: I was just barely able to read the recipe so you do not have to try. Mom often made these cookies or almond crescent cookies. When I was a kid, I did not appreciate cookies with nuts. But now I do enjoy these cookies.

The dough itself is a very basic and classic recipe. I did find that the dough needs to be cold when shaping the crescents. If the dough gets too warm, it might become too sticky, making it harder to shape, so just return the dough to the refrigerator for a bit. When the cookies come out of the oven, they need a few minutes to cool before handling because, as the title says, they are delicate, especially while still warm. Mom's recipe offers a few variations. You could substitute brandy or rum for the vanilla. Or, you could shape the dough into balls instead of crescents. And, of course, you could use any type of nut instead of walnuts.

Delicate Walnut Crescents 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for coating
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 3/4 cup flour

Cream the butter. Add 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in nuts and flour until well blended. Wrap dough in wax paper and chill well. 

Preheat oven to 300. Divide the dough into eight parts. on a lightly floured surface, shape dough into ropes about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut in 2 inch pieces, taper the ends and shape into crescents. Put onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove to cool. Shift confectioners sugar on top or roll cookies in sugar, cool and roll in sugar again. Store in an airtight container. The cookies can be frozen. Enjoy!