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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 14 servings
Calories 122 kcal

Ingredients
 

For the dough:

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream 20% fat
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • pinch of fine salt

For the filling:

  • ⅓ cup strawberry jam (or your favorite jam)
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts

For brushing:

  • 1 egg white
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour and softened butter to a mixing bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until you get a sandy, crumbly texture.
    Flour and softened butter combined in a mixing bowl
  • Stir in the sour cream and start bringing the dough together with your hands or a spatula.
    Sour cream being added to the crumbly flour and butter mixture
  • Sprinkle in the vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt, then mix until evenly distributed in the dough.
    Vanilla sugar and salt sprinkled over the dough ingredients in the bowl
  • Add about half a teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest, using a fine grater so it blends well into the dough.
    Fresh lemon zest being grated finely into the dough mixture
  • Knead the dough by hand just until it comes together in a smooth ball; if the dough feels too soft or sticky, add an extra 1–2 tablespoons of flour (about 10–20 g)
    Soft dough ball being kneaded lightly on a floured surface
  • Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 2 hours to firm up and relax the gluten.
    Dough wrapped in plastic wrap resting in the refrigerator
  • Meanwhile, get your jam ready in a small bowl; here we use strawberry jam, but you can use any favorite flavor.
    Small bowl filled with strawberry jam ready for the filling
  • Finely chop or pulse the walnuts in a blender, then add them to the jam and mix until you have a thick, spoonable filling.
    Walnuts and jam mixed together into a thick filling in a bowl
  • Once the dough has chilled, lightly flour your work surface, remove the dough from the plastic, and roll it out evenly with a rolling pin to a medium thickness.
    Chilled dough rolled out with a rolling pin on a floured surface
  • Using a small round cookie cutter or a small drinking glass, cut out circles from the rolled dough.
    Round circles of dough cut out with a small cutter from the rolled dough
  • Place a small teaspoon of the walnut and jam filling in the center of each dough circle
    Teaspoon of walnut-jam filling placed in the center of a dough circle
  • Fold and seal the edges of each filled circle to form a small crescent or half-moon shape; repeat with the remaining circles, then gather and re-roll the scraps to cut more circles until you get about 14 crescents.
    Small crescent-shaped cookies formed by folding dough around the filling
  • Transfer the crescents to a baking tray lined with parchment paper, whisk the egg white with a fork, and brush each crescent lightly using a pastry brush.
    Unbaked crescents arranged on a parchment-lined tray being brushed with egg white
  • Finely chop the remaining walnuts with a knife, sprinkle a few pieces over each crescent, then bake at 340–350°F (170°C) for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
    Crescents topped with chopped walnuts baking in the oven until lightly golden
  • The walnut and jam crescents are ready; arrange them on a serving plate and enjoy these tender, fluffy cookies while slightly warm or at room temperature.
    Plate of baked walnut and jam crescents arranged and ready to serve

Notes

  1. If the dough feels too soft even after chilling, add a little more flour when rolling, dusting lightly until it is easy to handle but still tender.
  2. For a stronger citrus aroma, you can increase the lemon zest slightly, but grate it very finely so it blends into the dough without leaving large pieces.
  3. Make sure the butter is softened but not melted; overly soft or melted butter can make the dough greasy and difficult to roll.
  4. Use a sharp cutter or glass when cutting circles to avoid compressing the edges, which helps the crescents rise more evenly.
  5. If your jam is very sweet, a slightly more tart variety like plum or sour cherry can balance the flavor better with the rich dough.
  6. Let the crescents cool for a few minutes on the tray before moving them, as they are fragile when hot and can break easily.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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