Cinnamon-Pecan Crescent Cookies

April 10: National Cinnamon Crescent Day

We sometimes see Mexican wedding cookies served at the receptions we attend in South Texas where we sponsor couples through our church’s marriage formation program. A variation of the round cookies is the crescent shape, probably a prelude to a sweet honeymoon.

One of our couples, Sean and Kristina V., featured them as favors (the cinnamon-pecan crescent cookies were packaged in pretty plastic bags, tied with ribbons and labeled with thank-you tags).

Cinnamon-pecan crescent cookies are wonderful for weddings  and National Cinnamon Crescent Day.

Recipe

(Inspired by Sean and Kristina V.)

Ingredients 

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup sugar, granulated white
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided use
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (we used Mexican vainilla)
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup pecan chips (or finely chopped pecans)
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Mix in the sugar and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour and pecans. Mix well and form into a ball of sticky dough. Pinch out a teaspoon of the dough and roll into a ball.

Form the ball into a 2 ½ inch long log and taper the ends into a crescent shape. Place onto a lightly greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Continue making the rest of the crescent cookies. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. In a bowl, sift the powdered sugar with the remaining ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Gently cover the cookies in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and dust off the excess over the wire rack. Serve as is or package them in favor boxes.

Notes

• Roll the dough into small balls and form them into little crescents as these cookies do puff up a little when baking.
• Try the recipe for Mexican wedding cookies that we also baked for our blog.
• Search our blog for other cookie recipes.