Almond Crescent Cookies
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These almond crescent cookies are buttery, nutty and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! They come together quickly with only 6 simple ingredients and are the perfect holiday treat.
Today I’m sharing a cookie recipe that is near and dear to my heart… almond crescent cookies. This recipe is a remake of my nanny’s crescent cookies that we’ve made every single year for Christmas since I was a little girl.
The combo of a crisp pecan shortbread cookie paired with the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth powered sugar coating is so delicious and nostalgic!
I personally love this recipe because it’s a family tradition! All the ladies in my family 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.
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“I think these are delicious! They are just like the ones my mom made when I was a girl, but they are so much better for me. Thank you!!!!! Yum! 🤤”
Why I Love These Almond Crescent Cookies
- Easy to make: You only need six simple ingredients and about 30 minutes to make these cookies!
- Great texture and taste: They have the perfect cookie texture, with a light crunch from pecans, and of course a lovely coating of powdered sugar.
- Ideal for any occasion: They’re tasty, such a fun shape and the perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray for gatherings, cookie exchanges or as a personal treat.
- Healthier option: 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 Needed
- almond flour – my nanny’s traditional crescent cookie recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but over the years I’ve moved away from using regular white flour when baking so I’m using almond flour for these and it works great!
- softened organic butter, ghee or vegan butter – I used Earth Balance buttery sticks to make these vegan/dairy-free, but feel free to use regular butter or ghee instead. Just make sure to use unsalted butter.
- confectioners’ sugar – another name for powdered sugar and what we’re using to coat these cookies in.
- vanilla extract – the perfect flavor enhancer for these cookies.
- salt – brings all the flavors together!
- pecans – make sure to grab raw pecans and chop them up finely! Since these cookies are on the smaller side we don’t want huge chunks of nuts in there.
Substitutions
- Pecans: You can sub in another nut like almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts or leave the nuts out all together.
- Powdered sugar: To make these almond crescent cookies lower in sugar and carbs you can use a product like Swerve confectioners’ sugar or powdered monkfruit sweetner instead of traditional confectioners’ sugar.
- Almond flour: I wouldn’t recommend substituting a different flour as this recipe was developed for almond flour specifically.
How to Make Almond Crescent Cookies
Step 1 – Mix almond flour, softened butter, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a large bowl until a dough forms. It will seem a little dry at first, but just keep mixing! Once combined, mix in the chopped pecans. You can use your hands to help mix the pecans in if needed.
Step 2 – Using a Tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough and roll it into a small log. Place the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat about 1 inch apart. Use your hands to shape the cookies into a crescent shape.
Step 3 – Bake the cookies for about 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.
Step 4 – Place 2-3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each cookie until coated. Let cookies cool and enjoy.
Tips For Success
- Use softened butter: This is important otherwise it’ll be hard to mix your dough. Either let your butter soften at room temperature or place it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften up.
- Use super-fine almond flour: For the best results, use finely ground blanched almond flour. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill. Coarser flour can make your cookies gritty and may affect how the ingredients bind together.
- Use finely chopped nuts: Make sure your nuts are chopped into very small bits. Use a sharp knife for this or place the nuts in a plastic, sealed bag and smash them with a rolling pin. Just make sure the nuts don’t turn into a powder!
- Bake until just golden brown: Pull your cookies from the oven as soon as they start to turn golden brown because they can easily go from golden to burnt!
- Cool slightly before rolling in powdered sugar: Wait for the cookies to cool slightly before rolling them in confectioners’ sugar. If they’re too hot, the sugar will melt into the cookies. If they’re too cold, the powdered sugar won’t stick as nicely to the cookies. A slightly warm cookie is perfect for a beautiful, snowy coating.
Troubleshooting Tips For Crumbly Dough
Crumbly dough often lacks enough moisture, usually due to not enough butter or the butter not being soft enough to blend well. If your dough is falling apart, try these quick fixes:
- Check your butter: Make sure it’s softened, not straight from the fridge, so it combines well with other ingredients.
- Measure correctly: Too much almond flour or nuts can dry out your dough. Be precise with measuring your ingredients.
- Don’t under-mix: It may seem dry initially, but keep mixing until the dough starts to stick together. Sometimes, a little extra hand-kneading does the trick.
- Add moisture if needed: A few drops of almond milk or water can help bind the dough if it’s still too crumbly after mixing well.
How to Store
Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. I personally prefer to store them in the fridge as I’ve found that this helps the cookies keep a crisp texture and ensures that the powdered sugar doesn’t soak into the cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Almond crescent cookies can be frozen either fully baked or as unbaked dough. For baked cookies, place them on a parchment-lined plate or sheet in the freezer until firm, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 1–2 months. To freeze dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place in a freezer-safe container, and store for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking, or shape the crescents beforehand and bake directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Coating them after baking gives that classic, snowy finish and adds a touch of extra sweetness. It also helps keep the cookies looking festive and makes them taste even more like the traditional holiday treat you know and love.
More Holiday Cookies To Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Almond Crescent Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- 3 Tablespoons softened organic butter, ghee or vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 5-6 Tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup raw pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Mix almond flour, softened butter, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and salt in a mixing 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.
- Using a tablespoon scoop the dough and form into a small log 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 an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
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Notes
- Powdered sugar: To make these cookies lower in sugar and carbs you can use a product like Swerve confectioners’ sugar or powdered monkfruit sweetner instead of traditional confectioners’ sugar.
- Almond flour: I wouldn’t recommend substituting a different flour as this recipe was developed for almond flour specifically.
- Pecans: You can sub in another nut like almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts or leave the nuts out all together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
These cookies are delicious my only problem is that they crumble they don’t retain their shape, what am I doing wrong? I did substitute coconut oil for butter but I don’t think that should be the problem.
Hi Rita – It could have been the coconut oil that caused them to crumble/not keep their shape. I would recommend using coconut butter or ghee. I hope you will give this recipe another try. I am glad you enjoyed them though!
Can I sun walnuts for pecans? I bought the wrong nuts :/
I’ve made them before with pecans and they’re my favourite biscuits!
Yes! Walnuts should work out just fine. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
These are so very good and easy to make! I have been looking for a easy recipe, similar to my Grandma’s snowball cookies she would make, (they were my favorite as a kid). These are so close, and I can actually eat them because they are GF! Thank you for sharing and creating!!
Aw yay! I am so glad that you are loving this recipe and that it brings back special memories, Amanda. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
OMG these cookies are absolutely scrumptious! Great texture, just the right sweetness, nutty. Hard to stop eating. Thanks a lot! Happy Holidays!
Woo! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Toni. Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
Made these and absolutely delicious. Friends loved them too! Thank you for sharing the super easy and foolproof recipe.
Excellent! I am excited that these cookies are a hit, Ann. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
Made these for our annual cookie exchange cause I wanted at least one kind of cookie that I can eat and they didn’t disappoint! I couldn’t get 18 from one batch though so I had to double the recipe twice to have enough but they are very good and simple to make. Thank you!!
YUM! I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe, Cindy. I wonder why you couldn’t get all 18 cookies? Did you use tablespoon size scoops? Thank you for your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
Favorite Christmas plate cookie.
Excited to try these. My nephew is allergic to walnuts and pecans. Would almonds or peanuts work?
Yes, almonds would work great! Enjoy!
can I use coconut sugar instead, I am diabetic. Thanks.
Hi Anais – I have not tried it, but I don’t believe coconut sugar will work in this recipe. It works as a binder and for the powered topping and I do not think the coconut sugar would work the same. So sorry.
I’ve read in some diabetic articles, using coconut sugar for powdered sugar. Check out that info. I believe you put the coconut sugar in a high speed blender and whir it up to make powdered sugar.
Yes! I have heard of this as well, but I haven’t tried it to see how it works. Not sure how it would stick to the cookie or if it would change the flavor at all. Let me know if you give it a try!
Swerve make a confectioners sugar that can be used. You can also make confectioners sugar from just about any sugar, plus a small amount of arrowroot or tapioca flour, and a good blender. I would expect coconut sugar to be a fine substitute, but because it is dark in color the cookies will look different no matter what. I’d say it’s worth a try — and I’d love for you to post here with your results! Good luck and happy holidays.
Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa!
Beware!!! These are dangerously good!! You won’t be able to stop eating them when they cool off. 😋
I love them!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Ah yay! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Bijana. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I so appreciate it.