Almond Crescent Cookies
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Add as Google Trusted SourceThese almond crescent cookies are buttery, nutty and coated in powdered sugar. Made with almond flour and just 6 simple ingredients, they’re an easy gluten-free addition to your holiday cookie tray!
These almond crescent cookies are a remake of my nanny’s crescent cookies that we’ve made every Christmas since I was a little girl. My version uses almond flour instead of all-purpose flour, with finely chopped pecans and that sweet powdered sugar coating I’ve always loved.
All the ladies in my family get together for holiday cookie baking, and nanny’s crescents are always on the list. Before she passed, she would help roll the cookies in powdered sugar and sneak plenty of bites along the way! Making these brings back those memories every year.
If you love baking with almond flour, check out more of my almond flour recipes.
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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
- Just 6 ingredients: A short ingredient list and only 10 minutes of prep before these cookies head into the oven.
- Buttery and nutty: Finely chopped pecans add a little crunch, while powdered sugar gives each cookie a sweet finish.
- Naturally gluten-free: These cookies use almond flour without any all-purpose flour.
- A holiday favorite: Their crescent shape and snowy coating make them a fun addition to cookie trays, exchanges and homemade gifts.
Ingredients Needed
- almond flour – use finely ground blanched almond flour for the best texture. This recipe was developed specifically for almond flour, so I don’t recommend swapping in another flour.
- 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.
- powdered sugar – also called confectioners’ sugar. You’ll use some in the dough and the rest to coat the baked cookies.
- 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 altogether.
- 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 sweetener instead of traditional confectioners’ sugar.
How to Make Almond Crescent Cookies
Step 1 – 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 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 – Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of dough, roll it into a small log and gently curve the ends into a crescent. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
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
- Start with softened butter: Let your butter soften at room temperature so it mixes easily into the dough.
- Chop the pecans finely: Small pieces are easier to incorporate and help you shape the dough into crescents.
- Watch for light golden tops: Start checking near the end of the baking time and remove the cookies when they begin to turn light golden brown.
- Let them cool before coating: Follow the cooling times before rolling the cookies in powdered sugar so they’re easier to handle and the coating doesn’t melt into them.
Troubleshooting Crumbly Dough
The dough can look dry when you first start mixing. Before making any adjustments, try these steps:
- Keep mixing: Give the ingredients time to come together, using your hands to gently work the dough if needed.
- Check the butter: It should be softened enough to blend easily with the other ingredients.
- Check your measurements: Double-check the almond flour and pecan amounts against the recipe card.
How to Store
Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
- Room temperature: Store for 3–4 days.
- Refrigerator: Store for up to 1 week. I like keeping mine in the fridge for a crisp texture.
- Freezer: Store the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
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 blanched almond flour
- 3 Tablespoons softened organic butter, ghee or vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 5-6 Tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 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.1 cup finely ground blanched almond flour, 3 Tablespoons softened organic butter, 5-6 Tablespoons powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup raw pecans
- 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.
Video
Notes
- Powdered sugar: To make these cookies lower in sugar and carbs you can use a product like Swerve confectioners’ sugar or powdered monkfruit sweetener instead of traditional confectioners’ sugar.
- Pecans: You can sub in another nut like almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts or leave the nuts out altogether.
- Storage: 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 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Just made these and they are DIVINE!!! So so good!
Woo-hoo!! Thanks for trying my recipe, Jessica. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
What type of almond flour do you use?
I used Bob’s Red Mill super fine Natural Almond Flour from whole almonds, so the cookies were darker than what you have on the video. It tastes good, but they were on the dry side as well.
Hey Juliana – I use Bob’s Red Mill almond flour a lot and love it! I’m sorry to hear that your cookies turned out dry. Did you follow the recipe exactly or change anything? If they turned out on the dryer side they might have been overcooked or had too much flour or too little moisture.
Thank you for your reply!
SOOO, I made these for a cookie exchange at work. They felt a little dry when I tried them as soon as they were ready. But I used your trick to store them in the fridge for storage, and took them to the cookie exchange the next day, and they were so good!!! Everyone loved them!! I will definitely make these again!
Oh yay!! That’s wonderful news. SO glad they were a hit!! 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it!
I had high hopes for this recipe because my granddaughter has celiacs and I was going to surprise her with some gluten free cookies. 20 minute bake time at 325* was way too long and I even dropped it down to 15 minutes. It’s hard to comment on taste because they were over baked and tasted dry, a waste of expensive almond flour. If I make them again, I would try baking them for 8-10 minutes.
Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t turn out for you, Jeanne. Did you follow the recipe exactly or change anything?
Amazing !!!
Yay! I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed this recipe, Joan. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it. <3
Making these right now, but I didn’t get 23 servings out of the ingredients and I followed it to a tee, only got 16. Cant wait to try them!
Hey Stacy – It just depends on how big you make the cookies. 🙂 Definitely let me know how your cookies turned out!!
These are the best ever! Now I don’t miss the powdered donuts.
Woot woot! I’m so glad you tried and loved these cookies, Dorth. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
I am looking forward to trying these, but haven’t baked with Almond flour yet. I love almond flavoring though and wondered if you can taste the almond when using the flour or do you suggest using almond extract in addition to enhance that flavor?
The almond flour lends a sweet, nutty aroma to baked goods, but it doesn’t have a distinct flavor like almond flavoring would. You can definitely sub almond extract for the vanilla extract to give it more of an almond flavor. Let me know if you end up making these and how they turn out! 🙂
Absolutely amazing!! Totally reminds my husband of the cookies his Hungarian grandma used to make. Gluten free is a bonus for me!! I either leave out the pecans or use almonds instead. Definitely a keeper!!
Looks amazing any chance the butter could be substituted for oil?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet coconut oil would work! Let me know if you try it.
These are delicious but we are dairy free so I subbed coconut oil and added about 5-6 min extra time in the oven but they are still super crumbly. Maybe a different butter substitute would work better or maybe I should try again with almond butter to help keep it all together!
Hey Shirley! I’m glad you enjoyed these cookies. I’m thinking they might have cooked too long if they turned out to be crumbly. Were they dry tasting?
HI New to your site. What if I don’t have the almond flour is AP flour okay to use?
THank you
Hi and welcome! I haven’t tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, but my Nanny’s original recipe uses AP flour so you could try that instead:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups grated pecans
5 T granulated sugar
1 T water
2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 325°
Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and water until fluffy.
Mix flour and salt together in a separate bowl and gently stir into the butter mixture.
Stir in pecans.
Roll tablespoons of the dough into a log and then shape into a crescent shape.
Bake at 325° for 20 minutes, cool cookies for 5-10 minutes and roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar while they’re still a bit warm.
Cool and enjoy!
How sweet of you to include your Nanny’s recipe, too! Am going to try both your gf version and your nanny’s ( for my gluten eating crew).
Absolutely love your recipes. Thanks, Brittany!
Hello!
I can’t wait to bake this cookies. Now in isolation baking is needed. I am missing pecans, will the recipe still work? I do have almonds.
Thank you for your input.
You can definitely use almonds instead of pecans!
Hi, I was wondering if this would work with almond meal instead. Thanks!
I definteily think the recipe will work with almond meal, they will just have a little more texture.