12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Viennese Crescents

On the fourth day of Christmas,

My true love sent to me

Four Viennese Crescents,

Three Candy Cane cookies,

Two Toffee Squares,

And a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.

These crunchy, buttery cookies have a light almond flavor. They pair very well with coffee and are delicious with or without a chocolate coating.

Viennese Crescents

Makes 3 dozen

• 1 cup butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Chocolate for melting (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cream Butter thoroughly. Add sugar and vanilla flavoring.
3. Mix in flour and ground almonds. Mix well.
4. Shape with fingers into crescent shapes about 3 inches by 1 inch and ½ inch thick.
5. Roll in confectioners’ sugar.
6. Place on baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes or until edges turn light golden. Roll cookies in confectioners sugar again – unless you are going to dip them in chocolate.

Optional: If you’d like to make chocolate-dipped cookies, here’s how:

Cool 2 minutes on cooling rack. Remove from sheet; cool completely.

Melt the chocolate of your choice (white, milk, or dark) in a double boiler, chocolate melting pot, or the microwave. Stir the chocolate until it is smooth and spreadable. Dip cookies in melted chocolate and place on rack or pan and put in refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. You can dip the entire cookie in chocolate, or just the ends.

Store cooled and decorated cookies in sealed bags, tins, or these adorable snowman cookie boxes.