These gluten-free almond crescent cookies are a healthy take on my nanny’s crescent cookie recipe. Each cookie only has about 60 calories and 2 grams of sugar plus they can easily be made vegan!
Oh my! I think I’ve found my new favorite healthier holiday cookie recipe. I know I say this every year (in 2015 I was hooked on these healthy no bake cookies and last year the whole EBF team was going gaga over these almond butter espresso cookies, but honestly this cookie recipe is near and dear to my heart because it’s a remake of my nanny’s crescent cookies.
This is a recipe we’ve made every single year for Christmas since I was a little girl and I’ve always adored the crispy pecan shortbread texture paired with the sweet and fluffy powered sugar coating.
Annual Holiday Baking Tradition
All the ladies in my family including my mom, sister, nieces and nanny usually get together to do holiday cookie baking each year and nanny’s crescent cookies are a mainstay. Before my nanny passed, she would always help out by rolling all the cookies in powered sugar for us. And she was a hoot too. If we were not watching closely she would end up munching on cookies the whole time she was rolling them.
A Holiday Classic Made Healthy
My nanny’s traditional crescent cookies are made with white flour and butter. Over the years I’ve moved away from using regular white flour when baking so I’m really excited to have a grain-free, gluten-free version of these cookies to enjoy. You’ll notice in the recipe that the cookies can be made with organic butter, ghee or vegan butter. I opted to go the vegan route and used Earth Balance buttery sticks, which worked amazingly well. They’re delicious either way so feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
The best part is that these cookies are a pretty healthy option when it comes to holiday cookies because they’re low in calories, sugar and carbs! Each cookie has about 60 calories, 2 grams of sugar and 3 grams of carbs. Not too shabby!
Ingredients and Substitutions
These tasty little crescent cookies couldn’t be easier. They only require one bowl, six ingredients and about 30 minutes to whip up! Here’s what you need:
almond flour – look for fine almond flour instead of almond meal. The texture of almond flour is lighter and less coarse, which will lead to a better texture for the cookies. I wouldn’t recommend substituting a different flour as these are developed for almond flour specifically.
softened organic butter, ghee or vegan butter – I used Earth Balance butter to keep these vegan.
confectioners’ sugar – another name for powdered sugar. To make these lower in sugar and carbs you can use a product like Swerve confectioner’s sugar.
vanilla extract
salt
chopped pecans – you can sub in another nut like almonds or walnuts or leave the nuts out all together.
How to Make Crescent Cookies
Mix the dough – Mix almond flour, softened butter, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a small bowl until a dough forms. It will seem a little dry at first, but just keep mixing! Once combined, mix in chopped pecans. You can use your hands to help mix the pecans in if needed.
Scoop the dough – Roll tablespoons of the dough into a small log. Place the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Use your hands to shape the cookies into a crescent shape.
Bake – Bake the cookies for 20 minutes or until they start to turn light golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.
Roll in powdered sugar – Place 2-3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each cookie until coated. Let cookies cool and enjoy.
How to Store These Cookies
After letting these cookies cool completely on a wire rack, store them in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 1 week. I’ve found that storing them in the fridge this helps the cookies keep a crisp texture and ensures that the powdered sugar doesn’t soak into the cookies. They’re also delicious after freezing! For freezing crescent cookies, simply place in an airtight freezer-safe container. They should last in the freezer for at least a month.
If you make these crescent cookies, be sure to leave a comment and star rating letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about trying the recipe.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grab an ungreased baking stone.
Mix almond flour, softened butter, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and salt in a small bowl until a cohesive dough forms. It will seem a little dry at first, but just keep mixing. Once combined, mix in chopped pecans. You can use your hands to help mix the pecans in if needed.
Roll tablespoons of the dough into a small log and then shape into a crescent shape. Arrange the crescents about 1 inch apart on the sheet as they will spread a bit. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes or until they start to turn light golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool 10 minutes more. Place 2-3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each cookie until coated. Let cookies cool and enjoy.
Store any leftover cookies in the fridge. I’ve found that this helps the cookies keep a crisp texture and ensures that the powdered sugar doesn’t soak into the cookies.
OMG. These are fabulous! The only problem is that one batch is not nearly enough!! After the first batch was such a hit, I have been making in nothing less than double batches… repeatedly!! I needed a new gluten/grain/dairy free addition to the mix, and this was perfect!! Thank you so much for this!!
I feel that!! I always have to make a double batch too. So glad you’re loving these cookies, thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Every time I make them, these cookies are delicious. I use maple syrup instead of sugar so the batter is a bit wet, but still they come out perfection.
Made these tonight on Christmas and they are so good! So easy and I had all the ingredients already in my pantry. I will definitely be making these again.
Hey Brenda – I haven’t tried these with regular flour before, so I’m not sure how the cookies would turn out. I developed this recipe specifically for almond flour. Let me know if you try them and how they turn out.
I have been making these for about 3 years now every Christmas! No one even knows the flour difference and they are always a huge hit wherever I take them.
I usually swap the vanilla for almond extract, or just add in. They are SO amazing!
Forever a staple in our household Christmas cookie baking 😃
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad these cookies were a hit with everyone. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hi. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. When rolling the dough it felt like it didn’t stick then when cooking they cracked. Any idea? Followed recipe exactly as is.
One thought might be the pecans. Did you pre-chopped pecans from the store or did you finely chop them yourself? I’ve found the store-bought chopped pecans aren’t fine enough and tend to make the cookies hard to roll and stay together.
These are phenomenal! Love that they aren’t overly sweet and so easy to make! I’ll be definitely making these some more. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
These are easy, excellent, and quick to make! This recipe is not the same as my German great-grandmother’s, but the cookies taste nearly identical. Nice and smooth and buttery!
So EXCITED about this recipe…I have a crescent cookie recipe from my mom & I make these cookies every Christmas…since she has passed, they have a special place in my heart. However, I needed a gluten-free/ dairy-free/sugar-free recipe (gut issues for me) and THIS IS THE ONE! Easy and fabulous! Thank you oh so much…I did only get 12 cookies though.
Yay, this makes me so happy to hear! So glad you loved this recipe, Terri. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it! As far as the number of cookies, you likely just made them a bit bigger than what I did. 🙂
So yummy! So easy! I used walnut because that’s what was in the pantry and they turned out great. I didn’t get near 23, only 13. Next time I’ll double the recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed these cookies, Katherine. You could have just made yours a bit bigger than when I made them, but I’m glad you loved them. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Sooo yummy! Agree with others. Only got a dozen. I made this twice and over cooked the first batch- still delicious. (my almond flour was refrigerated- butter room temp)
The second time both were room temp and they lost their shape, again, still yummy! But would that do it ?
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OMG. These are fabulous! The only problem is that one batch is not nearly enough!! After the first batch was such a hit, I have been making in nothing less than double batches… repeatedly!! I needed a new gluten/grain/dairy free addition to the mix, and this was perfect!! Thank you so much for this!!
I feel that!! I always have to make a double batch too. So glad you’re loving these cookies, thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Every time I make them, these cookies are delicious. I use maple syrup instead of sugar so the batter is a bit wet, but still they come out perfection.
★★★★★
So glad you’re loving these cookies, Sophie. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Made these for my sister who needs gluten-free foods. These were really good, and I’ll be using this recipe from here on out. Everyone liked them,
★★★★★
I’m so glad these cookies were a hit!! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
So delicious! The recipe made 9 cookies, so as the first batch was cooking I whipped up another batch. A huge hit for Christmas!
★★★★★
So glad these cookies were a hit!! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
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Made these tonight on Christmas and they are so good! So easy and I had all the ingredients already in my pantry. I will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad these cookies were a hit. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hi Brittany,Merry Christmas!
I made these cookies today, they taste good, but the flattened out when I baked them.
Any ideas why.
Thank you !
★★★★
Ok thanks. I am going to try these again, with a different butter maybe.
Hi Rita! Hmm… I’ve never had that happen to me before. Did you change anything about the recipe?
These are better than the ones I’ve always made using AP flour. I’ll never go back!
★★★★★
Ahh, this makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for making them and for the review, Judy.
Can i use regular flour I want to make these cookies today thank you
Hey Brenda – I haven’t tried these with regular flour before, so I’m not sure how the cookies would turn out. I developed this recipe specifically for almond flour. Let me know if you try them and how they turn out.
I have been making these for about 3 years now every Christmas! No one even knows the flour difference and they are always a huge hit wherever I take them.
I usually swap the vanilla for almond extract, or just add in. They are SO amazing!
Forever a staple in our household Christmas cookie baking 😃
★★★★★
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad these cookies were a hit with everyone. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Such an awesome and easy recipe…my first eating bird food and will be definitely trying more!!!
★★★★★
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Hi. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. When rolling the dough it felt like it didn’t stick then when cooking they cracked. Any idea? Followed recipe exactly as is.
One thought might be the pecans. Did you pre-chopped pecans from the store or did you finely chop them yourself? I’ve found the store-bought chopped pecans aren’t fine enough and tend to make the cookies hard to roll and stay together.
These were so good and easy to make. Turned out wonderful !! I left out the nuts.
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad these cookies turned out for you, Shannon. 🙂
Sounds SO good, but can I make these cookies without the nuts? Would the texture still be the same?
You can totally make them without the added nuts! They’ll still be yummy, but taste more like shortbread cookie.
These are delish! Great subtle yet rich flavor and satisfying texture.Thank you for a simple gluten free cookie I can throw together in a few minutes.
★★★★★
So glad you loved these cookies!! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it. 🙂
These are phenomenal! Love that they aren’t overly sweet and so easy to make! I’ll be definitely making these some more. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad you loved these cookies, Liz. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These are easy, excellent, and quick to make! This recipe is not the same as my German great-grandmother’s, but the cookies taste nearly identical. Nice and smooth and buttery!
★★★★★
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear, Steven. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
SO good!!
★★★★★
So EXCITED about this recipe…I have a crescent cookie recipe from my mom & I make these cookies every Christmas…since she has passed, they have a special place in my heart. However, I needed a gluten-free/ dairy-free/sugar-free recipe (gut issues for me) and THIS IS THE ONE! Easy and fabulous! Thank you oh so much…I did only get 12 cookies though.
★★★★★
Yay, this makes me so happy to hear! So glad you loved this recipe, Terri. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it! As far as the number of cookies, you likely just made them a bit bigger than what I did. 🙂
So yummy! So easy! I used walnut because that’s what was in the pantry and they turned out great. I didn’t get near 23, only 13. Next time I’ll double the recipe.
★★★★★
I’m glad you enjoyed these cookies, Katherine. You could have just made yours a bit bigger than when I made them, but I’m glad you loved them. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Can coconut oil be used yo replace butter?
Hey Sandy – I haven’t tried it, but I bet coconut oil would work! Let me know if you try it.
Delicious. I like adding mini chocolate chips!
★★★★★
Brilliant recipe. So glad I found this site.
★★★★★
Very good 23 no way
★★★★★
Sooo yummy! Agree with others. Only got a dozen. I made this twice and over cooked the first batch- still delicious. (my almond flour was refrigerated- butter room temp)
The second time both were room temp and they lost their shape, again, still yummy! But would that do it ?
★★★★★
Oh no!! Sorry to hear that. Was your butter softened or still pretty hard? Did you change anything about the recipe?
So easy and they taste amazing! Don’t hesitate to give these a try. Thank you for sharing. I will be trying more of your recipes.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed these cookies! Thanks for trying them. 🙂