An almond-chocolate dough shaped into crescents and dipped into melted chocolate.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sifted Dutch-process cocoa powder
1-1/4 cups butter, softened
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups very finely chopped almonds
1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, or equivalent amount of chopped bittersweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup grated coconut or chopped nuts (optional), or 1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional)
Directions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and cocoa and set aside. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almonds. Gradually stir in flour mixture, blending well after each addition. Chill dough for 2 hours or until firm enough to handle. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Form dough into crescents using a tablespoon of dough for each crescent. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until set but not brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Melt chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water.
- Option 1: Dip one half of each crescent into the melted chocolate and set on a sheet of waxed paper. Before the chocolate cools, sprinkle the cookie with grated coconut of chopped nuts.
- Option 2: Dip one half of each crescent into the melted chocolate and set on a sheet of waxed paper. When chocolate is set, cover the chocolate-dipped end of each cookie with a small bit of waxed paper and sprinkle the other end with confectioners’ sugar.
- Store at room temperature in airtight containers in layers separated by sheets of waxed paper. Keeps about 2 weeks. Freezes well.