Crescent Moon Cookies

These crumbly cookies are so delicious that you won't be able to stop eating them!
The rich and creamy texture comes from the high amount of butter in them... they practically melt in your mouth.

I am thinking of baking some this weekend and I have already started salivating at the idea...

I have made up the name for these cookies in English, since my mom's recipe only came in Spanish and it really doesn't translate well. The Spanish version keeps the original name, Cuernitos de nuez!

Crescent Moon Cookies
Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 cup powder sugar
2 bars unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
100 grams* finely chopped pecans

*I've found out that measuring in grams is more accurate than other standard units of measurement, but please feel free to check my conversion table to adjust your recipe to any kind of measurement!

Preparation

Smoothen the butter and fold the cornstarch and the flour in. Add the vanilla, pecans and water and softly blend into the batter.
Place the mixture in a covered bowl and cool in the fridge for at least half an hour.
The butter gets so soft that the batter will become sticky in your fingers and difficult to manipulate, you will find it better to not skip the cooling time!!


Heat up the oven to 350° F.

Bring out and roll portions of the batter to form cylindrical strips to about 1/3 of an inch in diameter, kind of like playing with play-doh! Each long cord will make it easier for you to cut pieces off to form the crescent shapes. Cut the batter into one inch segments and pinch the sides to form the crescent moon shapes.

Place in an ungreased cookie sheet, those two butter bars are enough to get those out of the tray without any problem! Also, the cookies will not grow significantly… you only need a small space in between them!


Bake at 305°F for about 12 minutes (temperatures vary from oven to oven, the original recipe has worked with times from 10 to 15 minutes). When you take them out of the oven they look pretty light colored, almost raw… but don’t fret, they are ready!


Let them cool off a bit and transfer to the powder sugar. Use a plate or bowl or even your counter top, you really only need to lay them in the sugar, flip them over once (individually) and move over to a cooling rack. Many poor little ones will crumble in the process, don’t be afraid and put those right in your mouth! But I gotta warn you… be ready to be tempted to keep on eating the ones that have survived the sugary process!




Enjoy!

I have not found a way to make these in any other variations for dietary restrictions, but if anyone can come up with a gluten free, fat free, sugar free version that is as delicious as the original, please shoot me a message or comment on this post. But please, make an original batch as a taste test before comparing to any variation of this recipe!

Moonchild