Walnut Crescents Recipe

By
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
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

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)
3344Calories
236gFat
273gCarbs
36gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories3344
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 236g303%
Saturated Fat 104g518%
Cholesterol 301mg100%
Sodium 738mg32%
Total Carbohydrate 273g99%
Dietary Fiber 11g38%
Total Sugars 76g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 1mg4%
Calcium 126mg10%
Iron 13mg75%
Potassium 573mg12%
*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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