Finnish Crescents Recipes

SPOON COOKIES: LUSIKKALEIVAT (FINLAND)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter browns lightly and smells slightly nutty, about 15 minutes. Transfer the butter to a medium bowl -- be sure to get all the tasty brown bits -- and cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in another medium bowl.
• Whisk the egg yolk, sugar and vanilla into the cooled browned butter.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture to make a uniform but crumbly dough that looks like wet sand.
• Scoop out dough with a small teaspoon (the kind you set the table with, not the ones you measure with). Rock spoon gently back and forth against the side of the bowl, packing the dough into the spoon, then scrape/slide the spoon against the inside of the bowl to make spoon-shaped cookies. Trim excess dough with your fingers and slide out onto the prepared pans, preserving their shape. (Try to make sure you form an even number of cookies, since these sandwich together.)
• Bake cookies until just browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool almost completely on the baking sheets, and then transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
• When cool, spread 1/2 teaspoon jam on the flat side of a cookie, and then sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies have met their match. Lightly dust the cookies with the confectioners' sugar. Serve.
• Busy baker's tips: The dough can be prepared several hours ahead and stored at room temperature. Freeze baked cookie halves wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, defrost at room temperature and assemble as desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not store with crisp cookies, as moisture from the jam will soften the texture of other crisp cookies.
• Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

BUTTER CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan until bubbles form at the edges; remove from heat. Mix in the butter, sugar, and salt. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine milk and yeast mixtures. Stir in 1 egg. Beat in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and form into rounds. Cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
• Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough half into a 12 inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Roll each wedge up towards the point. Bend ends inward to form crescents, and place point side down on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Brush rolls with beaten egg, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

VIENNESE CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Cream the butter and add the sugar and vanilla and beat to fluffy. Add the flour and nuts and mix in. Chill the dough for at least one hour. The more it's chilled the less it spreads during baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape the dough into tiny crescents using 1 teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Place them on an ungreased sheet pan in rows, leaving 1 inch in between for spreading and bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Let cool 5 minutes. Dredge them in confectioners' sugar.

THREE-CHEESE CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Make the Basic Dinner-Roll Dough, using the Parmesan as the mix-in. Let rise as directed.
• Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll or stretch each half into a 12-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush each round with some of the beaten egg and sprinkle with the Havarti and Cheddar, leaving a 1-inch border. Lightly press on the cheese to ensure it sticks.
• Cut each round into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter or chef's knife. Starting from the wide ends, roll up each wedge. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, bending the ends slightly to create a crescent. Loosely cover with plastic wrap; let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and salt in a small bowl. Brush the crescents with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with the seed mixture. Bake, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan or in the microwave until very warm (110 degrees F). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix in the sugar, yeast and 1 cup flour until combined but still lumpy. Let stand until the mixture is very bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Add the butter, salt and 2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs until combined, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl as needed. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and the mix-ins, if using; mix until the dough is smooth and starts to gather into a loose ball, about 4 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky; if it's too wet, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.
• Lightly oil a large bowl; scrape the dough into the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

PECAN-CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Beat the butter, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar and the salt in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix until crumbly, about 1 minute. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead with your hands to make a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Make the filling: Put the dried cranberries and 1 tablespoon water in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave until plump, about 1 minute. Let cool. Stir in the pecans, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon, then stir in the milk.
• Roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out circles using a 3 1/2-inch-round cookie cutter. Gather the scraps; reroll once to cut more circles. Place a heaping teaspoonful of filling on the bottom third of each circle, leaving a small border. Brush the edges with a little milk, fold the dough over the filling and roll to enclose; pinch the 2 ends closed and bend into a crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheets; brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream sugar and butter. Add flour, vanilla and nut meats. Roll a small piece between your hands and form into small crescents. (2 1/2 inches) Bake 20 to 25 minutes. When cool, roll in powdered sugar. These are better the second day.