Pecan Crescents

A couple weeks ago, my husband's aunt asked me to make what I think are pecan puffs or Mexican wedding cookies in a crescent shape for her daughter's baby shower. At first I thought she was talking about miniature pecan tarts (I've heard them called tassies before), but then she kept talking about how they are in the shape of a crescent. A light bulb went on and my suspicions were confirmed when she said they were covered in powdered sugar.

I had made them before a long time ago- I think I was actually in middle school or high school at the time. We had a Mexican cookbook and I was curious what Mexican wedding cookies were, so I made them for Christmas.

I wanted to make them over the weekend and knew I wasn't going to see my parents, so I found another recipe in a cookie cookbook I have barely used (I really have to start using more of my cookbooks!). It called for hazelnuts but I thought pecans could easily be substituted. It said to grind them so they could fit through a strainer, which is making them a little finer then I recall having done before, but it suited me fine because I have yet to purchase a food processor and my only option was to use my Magic Bullet. It saved me quite a bit of chopping!

The recipe is super simple and turned out great. The cookies are really delicate tasting and almost melt in your mouth. I kind of like them for the fact that they are not super sweet and have a nice buttery flavor. My three year old loved them without the powdered sugar on top, but her eyes got really big when I started to sprinkle the powdered sugar over them. She had split the first cookie with me, and she ate all her lunch, so I let her taste some of the finished product too...

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

1/2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 T Water
1 t Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Finely Ground Pecans
Confectioners Sugar for Dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift the flour and salt into a small bowl.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the water and vanilla. Gently stir in the flour until just combined and then mix in the ground nuts.

Shape about a tablespoonful of dough into a crescent and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Remove from the baking sheet and let cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar.