Walnut Crescents Recipe

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
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Updated March 24, 2025
Robyn Lee

Swapped by Jill Astmann. Adapted from her Grandma Millie.

These recipes from our annual Serious Eats Cookie Swap are provided by Serious Eats staff, friends, and family. They have not been tested by our recipe team.

Recipe Details

Walnut Crescents Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 30 mins
Chilling and Cooling Time 3 hrs 5 mins
Total 3 hrs 45 mins
Makes 48 cookies
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter

  • 1/3 cup sugar

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  • 1/2 cup shortening

  • 2 teaspoons water

  • 2 cups flour

  • Confectioner's Sugar for dusting

Directions

  1. Cream butter to soften, then thoroughly cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in water and vanilla, then flour and nuts.

  2. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill dough for 3- 4 hours.

  3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Form dough into long rolls, 1/2" across. Cut into 3" lengths and shape into crescents. Bake on an parchment-laced sheet for about 15 minutes.

  4. Cool slightly on the pan, then sift confectioner's sugar over. They are very fragile, handle carefully.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3344 Calories
236g Fat
273g Carbs
36g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 3344
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 236g 303%
Saturated Fat 104g 518%
Cholesterol 301mg 100%
Sodium 738mg 32%
Total Carbohydrate 273g 99%
Dietary Fiber 11g 38%
Total Sugars 76g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 126mg 10%
Iron 13mg 75%
Potassium 573mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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