Spiced Hazelnut Crescent Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.
• Put the egg white in a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the hazelnuts and toss to coat in the egg white. Add the spice blend and toss to coat again.
• Spread the nut mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a large bowl.

Steps:

• Very finely chop hazelnuts in a blender (make sure it is a very fine chop but not pulverized) set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla, mixing to combine.
• Gradually add the flour and hazelnuts to the wet ingredients, making sure all is thoroughly combined.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• With hands, take about a tbsp of dough and roll into a rope shape.
• Twist on cookie sheet into a half moon to form a crescent shape.
• Bake for 10 minutes (do not brown).
• Let sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes (cookies will be fragile).
• CAREFULLY roll in powdered sugar while still warm, then place on cooling rack to cool completely.
• Once completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar a second time.
• Store in tightly covered container.

Steps:

• To prepare hazelnuts, spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Place in food processor and grind using the pulse action until you have a coarse powder.
• In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter, water, sugars, vanilla, salt and nutmeg for 2 minutes.
• Beat in egg yolk until mixed in; then the hazelnuts.
• At lowest possible speed, mix in the flour until just blended. Your dough should be stiff but still soft. If it is very soft, add in 1 or 2 additional tablespoons of flour.
• Divide dough in halves and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• To make the cookies, take about 2 tablespoons of dough and form into a rope about 3 inches long. Turn the ends of the ropes inward to form a crescent (C) shape. Place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes until the cookies have a tan color and dry exterior. Remove from oven and cool on baking racks.
• To glaze the cookies, first melt the two chocolates separately, each with a teaspoon of shortening. Place the chocolate into resealable plastic bags. Clip a tiny corner to create a piping bag and drizzle small stripes of each of the melted chocolates on each cookie. (Place some waxed paper under the baking racks for quick cleanup.) Let the chocolates harden and transfer to an air tight storage container.