Almond Chocolate Crescents Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt; mix briefly to incorporate. Gradually stir 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour into the creamed butter, add almonds, and mix until dough is just combined.
• Shape dough into tiny crescents; place on an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Roll cookies in sifted confectioners' sugar when cooled.

Steps:

• Special equipment: pizza cutter or kitchen shears, ruler
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place 1 sheet thawed puff pastry on the work surface like a sheet of paper or portrait (not horizontal or landscape). If the puff pastry is very sticky, very lightly flour the work surface. Using a pizza cutter or kitchen shears, cut the puff pastry in half, widthwise. Using a ruler as a guide, make an indentation at 2-inch intervals (for the base) across the bottom of each puff pastry half. Cut each half into 8 triangles, with the base of each triangle measuring 2 inches. (They will be very long isosceles triangles.) You'll end up discarding the 2 end pieces to get the most out of your puff pastry piece. This sheet of triangles will be reserved for the chocolate croissants. Repeat the cutting for the second puff pastry sheet that will be used for the almond croissants.
• For the chocolate croissants: Place 1 chocolate piece just above the 2-inch edge of 1 pastry triangle, folding the dough over the chocolate as you tightly roll up the dough, enclosing the chocolate. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry and chocolate. Place the pastry rolls on the baking sheet, seam-side down. Cover the croissants with plastic wrap and place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the dough firms up. (You can make these croissants 1 day ahead up to this point.)
• Just before baking, remove the croissants from the refrigerator, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
• For the almond croissants: Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond paste, shaped like a small log, just above the 2-inch edge of 1 pastry triangle, folding the dough over the almond paste as you tightly roll up the dough, enclosing the almond paste. Repeat with remaining puff pastry triangles and almond paste. Place the pastry rolls on a baking sheet, seam-side down. Cover the croissants with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until the dough firms up. (You can make these croissants 1 day ahead up to this point.)
• Just before baking, remove the croissants from the refrigerator, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar and sliced almonds.
• Bake until the pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cook's Note: These croissants are so easy and so good you'll want to stuff them with practically everything. They are perfect as is-chocolate croissants and almond croissants, but if you're feeling a little adventurous combine the chocolate and almond paste (scale back just a touch on the almond paste) in one croissant for a decadent treat. But don't stop there, you can stuff these mouthwatering minis with savory fillings too. Ham and cheese croissants are crazy good!

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Mix butter and sugar in large bowl with wooden spoon until blended. Gradually add flour, stirring after each addition until blended. Stir in nuts.
• Shape into 2-inch crescents, using 1 Tbsp. dough for each. Place, 2 inches apart, on parchment- or foil-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 12 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 2 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Melt chocolate as directed on package. Dip one end of each cookie in chocolate; top with nuts. Return to wire racks; let stand until chocolate is firm.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350º.
• In a small bowl, combine ground almonds, powdered sugar, and almond extract.
• Stir in egg white.
• Melt chocolate in a small dish and stir into almond mixture, mixing in well.
• Allow crust to come to room temperature (or if you can't wait to get started, heat for about 20 seconds on defrost in your microwave).
• Unfold/ unroll both pie crusts as directed on package (if you are making your own pie crusts, form both of them in a round circle measuring 11" across).
• Place one pie crust on top of the other (this is just to simplifiy the amount of cutting you will do, you can do it one layer at a time if you like) and place on cutting board.
• Cut crusts in half, in half again making 4 sections, in half again, making 8 wedges, and then each of the eight wedges, cut in thirds, creating 24 wedges.
• Place about 1/2 teaspoon of almond filling at the wide end of each wedge.
• If you chose to stack the crusts, roll the top layer first, roll up starting with widest end of wedge, rolling to opposite point.
• Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Repeat with second layer.
• These cookies can be placed quite close to each other as the will shrink just a little while baking.
• I usually have 24 cookies on one cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until very light golden brown.
• Remove from cookie sheet to a wire cooling rack that has waxed paper underneath.
• Cool completely.
• In a small bowl, make glaze by mixing powdered sugar, almond extract and stirring in milk gradually to reach desired glazing consistency (I like mine a little thicker).
• Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies.