Nut-Filled Christmas Crescent Cookies
The Christmas countdown is on!
For many, this means getting the decoration out. For me, this means getting my apron on and starting my baking production line.
Yes, we Germans do love our Christmas biscuits. The more the merrier!
I came across this particular recipe a couple of years ago whilst browsing through my mum’s old recipe books. She used to bake them as a kid at school and had totally forgotten about them.
The flavour combination convinced me straight away, so I gave it a try. And, I wasn’t disappointed.
It’s nutty with a hint of chocolate and the orange jam makes it slightly tangy as well. Just spot on.
I’ve made them a couple of times since. Instead of walnuts, you can also use hazelnuts or almonds. Or a combination.
Happy Baking!
Ingredients
For the dough
500g flour
4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk
150g sugar
lemon zest
vanilla essence (to taste)
salt
For the filling
100g walnuts
20g dark chocolate
baking powder
30g panko breadcrumbs
125 ml single cream
100g orange jam
orange zest
almond essence (to taste)
icing sugar
Makes about 30 cookies
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C) and line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment.
Filling
For the filling - chop the walnuts and the chocolate.
In a saucepan combine the panko breadcrumbs with the single cream and a pinch of baking powder.
Add the walnuts, chocolate, orange jam, orange zest and almond essence. Carefully heat the mixture whilst stirring until it comes away from the bottom.
Set aside to cool.
Dough
For the dough - in a bowl mix the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, sugar, lemon zest with a pinch of salt.
In a small jar combine the milk with the eggs and vanilla essence.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and combine them into a dough.
Lightly dust a surface with flour. Roll out the dough to about 5mm in thickness.
Cut into circles using a cookie cutter (8 cm) or glass.
Place 1 tsp of filling onto a circle and fold over to form a crescent. Make sure to firmly stick together the edges of the dough to keep the filling inside.
Place on the baking tray and bake for about 15 min.
Whilst still warm, dust them with icing sugar.