Almond Crescents

 

I had never heard of almond filling in a can.  Guess I don't get around much!  I have never really had a recipe that required me to try to find it, I guess.  I must admit that I love anything almond and that I did enjoy a wonderful Twice Baked Almond Croissant from Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle this summer.  I wondered how they got the wonderful creamy layer in the croissant.  Maybe with almond paste?  filling?  (Bakery Nouveau is a great place to visit.  I posted about it here.  It is worth the seventeen hour drive to Seattle!)  So, when I saw the can of Almond filling and visualized pictures of the Twice Baked Almond Croissant, it popped off the shelf and into my shopping cart!

I found the Almond Crescent recipe on the back of the label.  I decided that I had to try out that recipe and use the product before I could venture into unknown territory and attempt the croissants!  The label also listed a website featuring additional recipes for the product.  The recipe is pretty straight forward.  I was surprised that there were not any eggs in the recipe but it didn't seem to matter.  The dough must be refrigerated for four hours!  One must plan ahead when making these cookies.




Yield:  about 48 cookies

Heat oven to 325° F.
Planning note: Dough must be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before baking.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 can Solo Almond Filling
2 cups all-purpose flour
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Preparation
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in almond extract and almond filling until blended. Stir in flour to make stiff dough. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until dough is no longer sticky.

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Dust hands with flour. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into small tapered crescents about 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute. Remove from baking sheets and cool on racks. Dust with confectioners sugar while cookies are still warm. Cool completely. Store in airtight containers.