Dessert Recipes
Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky)
About 35 - 40 mini crescents
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. Read More
Dessert Recipes
Vegetarian
Before You Start
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
Welcome to My Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky) Guide
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.
Processing the Walnuts for the Dough
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.
Creating the Cookie Dough
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.
Resting and Chilling the Dough
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.
Forming the Delicate Crescents
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.
Baking the Vanilla Crescents
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.
Coating with Vanilla Sugar
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.
Popular questions
Why are my Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky) soft immediately after I take them out of the oven?
Right after baking, the crescents have a soft texture, which can confuse some people and make them think it is a sign of underbaking. This is why some people tend to extend the baking time and overbake crescents. However, the surface turns from a doughy texture to a solid during the 10 – 12 minute baking time. I let them partially cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before further manipulation to allow them to set.
Vanilla-walnut Crescents (vanilkové rohlíčky)
Ingredients:
Click any ingredient to learn moreCookie gough:
1 ½ cups of walnuts
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
¼ TSP of baking powder
1 ¾ sticks of unsalted butter - room temperature (7 OZ)
1 egg
Coating:
1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 bag of vanilla sugar (about 1 TBSP *)
* Can be purchased on Amazon.com. Usually sold in a packaging of 5 individual bags, and costs about $5 dollars. Alternatively, you can make your own in the comfort of your own home:
- Place ½ cup of granulated sugar and pour over about 2 TSP of vanilla extract.
- Do not cover and let fully dry overnight.
- When dry, place into a small blender and process until smooth with little crystals.
Tools:
Click any tool to learn more1x French Whisk
1x Plastic Wrap
1x Chef’s knife
1x Cooling Rack (Optional)
Nutrition per 1 Serving:(recipe split into 35 servings)
EstimatedCalories 159
Protein 1.0 g
Fat 9.9 g
Saturated fat 3.4 g
Carbohydrate 16.9 g
Sugars 11.2 g
Fiber 0.2 g
Sodium 3 mg
Cholesterol 17 mg
Vegetarian
Estimated. Worked out from the ingredients above using the United States Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central reference data. An estimate, not a measurement — brands, sizes and how much of a marinade actually ends up on the plate all move it.
Directions:
1.Walnuts Preparation:
1.1.
Place into a food processor:
1 ½ cups of walnuts
Process on high speed until the fine texture is reached – no larger chunks are present (about 2 minutes).
2.Dough:
2.1.
Place into a kitchen mixer with a flat beater attachment:
Processed walnuts from the previous step
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
¼ TSP of baking powder
Shortly stir together using a hand whisk until nicely combined (about 1 minute).
2.2.
Add:
1 ¾ sticks of butter – soft
1 large egg
Process at a slow speed until all ingredients are partially combined.
2.3.
Then increase the speed to medium-high and process until the dough is formed (about 2 – 3 minutes).
3.Resting Time:
3.1.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap: scoop it on the wrap and then cover it with the wrap and press to create a flat disk with a thickness of about ¾”.
3.2.
Let cool in the refrigerator until the dough at least partially hardens (about 30 minutes).
Important:
If the dough in the refrigerator fully hardens (if left for a longer time, for example, overnight), remove from the refrigerator about a half hour to an hour before further processing.
4.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5.Sugar Coating:
5.1.
Place into a medium mixing bowl:
1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 bag of vanilla sugar
Thoroughly stir together with a whisk until nicely combined.
6.Form the Crescents:
Notes:
- Work one-by-one on a non-floured surface.
- It is essential to work fast with the dough.
- If it becomes hard to work with the dough after a while (it will become too soft to form the crescents), place it back in the refrigerator for further processing to let it cool and harden.
6.1.
Cut the dough into long strips and then roll each to a round diameter of about 1/2”.
6.2.
Cut each roll into similar segments (each about 3” long).
6.3.
Bend each segment into a horseshoe shape by bending both ends towards each other and immediately placing them on a baking sheet.
Important:
Ensure they are not touching each other (you can have up to 24 on each baking sheet).
6.4.
Repeat with all remaining.
7.Bake:
7.1.
Bake in a preheated oven until fully baked. The surface turns from a doughy texture to a solid (about 10 – 12 minutes).
7.2.
Rotate the baking sheets in the middle of baking.
Note:
Right after baking, the crescents have a soft texture, which can confuse some people and make them think it is a sign of underbaking; this is why some people tend to extend the baking time and overbake crescents.
7.3.
Let partially cool on the baking sheet before further manipulation (for about 3 minutes).
8.Coat the Crescents:
8.1.
While still warm, coat each mini roll in sugar coating.
Tip:
Manipulate each crescent gently (you can use an icing spatula for easy manipulation).
8.2.
Place the coated mini crescents on a cooling rack.
8.3.
When all crescents are coated, place the remaining sugar mixture into a small sieve and gently sugar all crescents.
- If parts of the ingredients stick to the side of the kitchen mixer during processing, stop the mixer, and use a spatula to mix it back in. Then, continue processing.
- You can leave the dough to rest in the refrigerator longer (up to 3 days) – Remove and leave at room temperature for about 1 hour before processing.
Share
Click on the icons below to share "Title of the item to share"