Italian Crescent Cookies
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Italian Crescent Cookies are a rich, melt-in-your-mouth cookie similar to shortbread, sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar and shaped in a pretty half-moon shape. Perfect for cookie exchanges, these easy cookies are a must-make for the Christmas season.
Italian Crescent Cookies Recipe
I always like to look up the history of classic recipes before I share them on Sugar, Spice and Glitter because I want to pay homage to their history and be respectful of any cultural significance a recipe may hold – and this is the first recipe that shocked me.
I grew up as a second-generation Italian and this was always a classic recipe at our family get togethers. It was always presented to be as a classic Italian cookie… but on researching, I’ve learned that the crescent shape of these cookies has nothing to do with Italy!
While the ingredients are similar to anginetti, Italian sugar cookies, which I have an authentic recipe for here – the crescent shape actually has a more wide-spread European heritage, harking back to the 17th century Austro-Turkish Wars.
The story goes that while Turkish invaders approached the capital, non-army forces (including everyday people like bakers) helped stave off the would-be occupiers, and then to commemorate the victory of Austrian forces, Austrian bakers made cookies in the half moon shape of the Turkish flag to mock the efforts of the Turkish army.
So, these are not Italian Crescent Cookies as I grew up calling them – but Viennese Crescents.
I am disappointed that these melt-in-your-mouth cookies don’t truly belong to my ancestors (since I would love to lay some claim to them), they are rich, buttery and worth making – and have a rich historical tradition that perhaps makes them even more interesting.
Whether you call them Italian Crescent Cookies or Viennese Crescents, either way, they are melt-in-your-mouth sweet, buttery decadence and a must-make in your Christmas cookie line-up.
How to prevent the crescent cookies from spreading and losing their shape:
- Beat butter and sugar until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour before baking.
- You can also use a higher protein flour, though this will make the final cookies a little less tender.
How to store Italian Crescent Cookies: these cookies can be kept for up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container.
How to freeze Italian Crescent Cookies: To freeze, use parchment or wax paper in between layers of the baked cookies and store in an airtight freezer bag or your favourite freezer containers (this set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain).
Ingredients for Crescent Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Vegetable Shortening
- White Sugar
- Eggs, room temperature
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Powdered Icing Sugar
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Sheets
- Cooling racks <– I have and love these tiered cooling racks, they save so much counter space and are also oven-safe
- Small bowl, for holding the sprinkles
- Cookie Scoop
How to Make Crescent Cookies
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in eggs and extracts for 30 seconds, then add half of the flour mixture. Beat until fully incorporated, then add remaining half of the flour mixture.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookies, then roll each scoop of cookie dough to form a 3.5″ log and curve the log to form a crescent shape. Place each rolled cookie onto the prepared baking mats.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just lightly golden and cookies start to crack on top.
Allow cookies to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.
Makes approximately 30 cookies.
Grab your free printable recipe card for our crescent cookies recipe:
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Italian Crescent Cookies
Viennese Crescents are a decadent, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie perfect for gifting or making for Christmas cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 cup Vegetable Shortening
- 3/4 cup White Sugar
- 3 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 cup Powdered Icing Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in eggs and extracts for 30 seconds, then add half of the flour mixture. Beat until fully incorporated, then add remaining half of the flour mixture.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookies, then roll each scoop of cookie dough to form a 3.5" log and curve the log to form a crescent shape. Place each rolled cookie onto the prepared baking mats.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just lightly golden and cookies start to crack on top.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 92mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves these easy crescent cookies as much as mine does!
For more scrumptious cookies, check out our full cookie recipe collection here:
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