Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky) are one of my favorite Christmas cookies to prepare during the holidays. These treats feature the great flavor of walnuts formed into delicate crescents, which I then finish by coating them with decadent vanilla sugar and confectioners’ sugar for a festive appearance and taste.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
I am excited to share that Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky) are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. When you bake these, you will experience the great flavor of walnuts formed into delicate crescents. To finish these holiday treats, they are coated with decadent vanilla sugar and confectioners’ sugar. I find that this recipe perfectly captures the essence of festive baking with its rich nuttiness and sweet coating.
The foundation of these Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky) lies in the walnut preparation. I start by placing 1 ½ cups of walnuts into a kitchen food processor. It is crucial to process them on high speed until a fine texture is reached. I ensure that no larger chunks are present, which usually takes about 2 minutes. Achieving this fine consistency is vital for the texture of these delicate walnut cookies, ensuring the dough remains smooth and uniform.
To make the dough for my favorite Christmas cookies, I use a kitchen mixer with a flat beater attachment. I combine the processed walnuts from the previous step with 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, and ¼ TSP of baking powder. I shortly stir these together using a hand whisk until they are nicely combined, which takes about 1 minute. Then, I add 1 ¾ sticks of soft butter and 1 large egg. I process this at a slow speed until all ingredients are partially combined before increasing the speed to medium-high to form the dough, taking about 2 to 3 minutes.
Proper resting time is key for handling the cookie dough preparation. I wrap the dough with plastic wrap by scooping it onto the wrap, covering it, and pressing it to create a flat disk with a thickness of about ¾”. I let it cool in the refrigerator until the dough at least partially hardens, which takes about 30 minutes. If the dough fully hardens, perhaps because I left it overnight, I remove it from the refrigerator about a half hour to an hour before further processing to ensure it is pliable enough to shape.
When it is time to form the crescents, I work one-by-one on a non-floured surface. It is essential to work fast with the dough. I cut the dough into long strips and roll each to a round diameter of about 1/2”. Then, I cut each roll into similar segments, roughly 3” long. I bend each segment into a horseshoe shape by bending both ends towards each other and immediately place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If it becomes hard to work with the dough because it becomes too soft, I place it back in the refrigerator to cool and harden.
I bake these walnut crescents in a preheated oven at 350°F until they are fully baked. I look for the surface to turn from a doughy texture to a solid, which takes about 10 – 12 minutes. I always rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking to ensure even heat distribution. It is important to note that right after baking, the crescents have a soft texture. This can confuse some people and make them think it is a sign of underbaking, but I am careful not to extend the baking time and overbake them.
The final touch for these traditional Christmas recipes is the sugar coating. While the mini crescents are still warm, I coat each one in a mixture of 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 bag of vanilla sugar. I manipulate each crescent gently, sometimes using an icing spatula for easy manipulation, before placing them on a cooling rack. Once all crescents are coated, I place the remaining sugar mixture into a small sieve and gently sugar all crescents again to ensure they are perfectly covered in that sweet, snowy layer.
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