Grain-Free Crescent Cookies

Another delicious addition to your holiday dessert platter is this Grain-Free Crescent Cookie. I wanted to save the best for last. Honestly, these grain-free crescent cookies are the best! One weekend left before Christmas, so it is not too late to add another delicious gluten-free cookie to your cookie box. Trust me on this – the cookies go very fast you can’t have too many. I am super excited about this cookie because it reminds me of my childhood. Growing up in Eastern Europe, a crescent cookie was always included on a holiday cookie platter. My dilemma was how to make them gluten-free and without grains. I wanted to have at least one grain-free cookie. Well, I am happy to report these grain-free crescent cookies turned out unbelievably delicious, even better than I remember them. The recipe is super simple. Only 6 ingredients, imagine that. To make the cookie, I first started with almond flour. Then to sweeten them, I added powdered sugar. To keep them buttery tasting, I added some butter, and for an added bite, I added finely chopped pecans. Once they finished baking, I coated them in some powdered sugar. Although it is optional, but to keep them close to tradition, I had to do it.  OMG….they are heavenly cookies. They may not be the prettiest, but in my opinion, they are the best tasting on my cookie platter this holiday season. So don’t worry if you can’t get the shape perfect or even if they crack a bit, once you taste them, none of this will matter. These cookies keep the best when refrigerated.

Why are crescent cookies shaped this way?

I don’t want to bore you too much, so I will get right to the point. First, the crescent cookies were brought to America by German immigrants. But they are common throughout Europe, especially in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Germany, Hungary and Italy. Originally they were made with walnuts and also with almonds then dusted with vanilla sugar. So the question remains, why are they crescent shaped? As legend has it, the cookie was all about celebrating the triumphant days of the Habsburg Monarchy. This victory was a turning point in the Austrian-Osman conflict, and to celebrate this monumental event, the bakers of Vienna created cookies shaped as crescent moons, which were characteristic for the flag of the Osman Empire So this is why they are shaped this way.