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Home » Christmas

Pecan Crescents for the Holidays

Last updated on August 1, 2022 By Anna 4 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

Fuzz has been doing a lot of baking, and yesterday she made a batch of these Pecan Crescents. She mixed things up a bit, though. Instead of using pecans, she used ground roasted hazelnuts and a dash of hazelnut extract. Unfortunately, I only got a tiny taste of her cookies before she packed them up and took them to a party.  Craving more, I made another batch using Fuzz's recipe, but sticking with the traditional pecans.

pecan crescents

Easy Pecan Crescents With Confectioners' Sugar in the Dough

The recipe for these cookies calls for confectioners' sugar in the dough and on the outside, so the texture is light and crumbly. I didn't use fancy pecans, but rather already chopped Betty Crocker brand pecans from Walgreen's. They were good right out of the bag, but to up the flavor a bit I toasted them for about 5 minutes at 350 and tossed them with a tiny bit of butter. Another little trick to make the cookies better is to use European style butter. Any butter works, but with so few ingredients the European butter's flavor stands out. It might also help the texture, because these were just about perfect!

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Recipe

pecan crescents

Pecan Crescents

Anna
Traditional Pecan Crescents made with butter and confectioners' sugar.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36

Ingredients
 

  • 1 stick salted butter, softened (114 grams)
  • ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar (40 grams)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt increase to ¼ if using unsalted butter
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour (110 grams)
  • ⅓ cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Beat together softened butter, confectioners' sugar and salt. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour and stir until mixed. Stir in the pecans.
  • Using a teaspoon measure, shape bits of dough into small crescents and place on the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Let sit on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
  • Put some confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl and roll the warm cookies in the sugar. Let them cool completely, then dust with more sugar.

Notes

Tips for Even Better Cookies: For the butter, try to find salted European style. Make sure the confectioners' sugar is super fresh or right out of the box. For the pecans, try roasting them for about 5 minutes at 350 and tossing with a tiny bit of butter. Let cool before using.
Keyword Crescents, Pecans
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    I love hearing from other bakers and appreciate helpful comments. Rude ones will be deleted immediately.

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  1. Sue

    December 18, 2016 at 8:39 am

    One of my favorite holiday cookies.

  2. Sonya

    December 12, 2016 at 8:58 am

    Mmmmmmmm, this kind of cookie is SO good! Sounds like your daughter has your baking talents!!!

  3. CakeSpy

    December 12, 2016 at 6:24 am

    OMG. My holiday favorite!! I'm with you in that those small touches make a big difference with humble cookies like these. It can elevate them to exquisite!

  4. Maria @ kitchenathoskins

    December 11, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    I totally agree with you Anna! Toasted pecans and European butter adds tons of flavor to these simple cookies. Love the crumbly texture

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