Ukrainian Almond Crescents
Submitted by carrielrar
Ukrainian almond crescents with a tender sour cream yeast pastry rolled around a ground almond and brown sugar filling. Flaky, nutty, and golden, these Eastern European cookies melt in your mouth.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minThese little horn-shaped pastries are a treasure of Ukrainian baking, and the sour cream dough is unlike anything you’ve worked with before.
Flour, butter, egg yolks, yeast, and sour cream come together into a rich, tender dough that chills until firm, then rolls out like a dream.
The filling is simple but spectacular: toasted ground almonds and brown sugar bound with stiffly beaten egg whites, spread across pie-shaped wedges and rolled into tiny croissant shapes.
Baked until golden and puffed, they shatter into buttery, nutty layers with every bite.
Kitchen Tips
- Handle the dough as little as possible. Less kneading means more tender, flaky pastry
- Chill the dough for a full 2 hours or it will be too sticky to roll
- Flour your rolling surface generously since this dough loves to stick
- Place each crescent with the point side down so they stay sealed during baking
- Toast the almonds before grinding for a deeper, richer flavor in the filling
Variations
- Walnut version: Swap ground walnuts for almonds, which is equally traditional in Ukrainian baking
- Powdered sugar finish: Dust the warm crescents with powdered sugar for a festive holiday look
Ingredients
Directions
Pastry: For the pastry, mix together the flour and yeast in a med bowl.
Cut in the butter with a pastry fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in the egg yolks and sour cream and mix well.
The mixture will still be crumbly.
Form the dough into a ball using your hands, working it as little as possible.
The less you knead, the more tender the pastry will be.
The dough will be tacky.
Wrap it in waxed paper and chill it for at least 2 hours.
Prepare the filling by combining the ground almonds and sugar in a small bowl.
Beat together the egg whites and salt until stiff, but not dry, and carefully fold them into the nut mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
When the dough is thoroughly chilled, divide it into three balls.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out three circles about ⅛” thick.
Work on a well-floured surface to prevent the dough from sticking.
Cut each circle into eight pie-shaped wedges and spread the wedges with the filling.
Starting at the wide end, roll each wedge up like a little croissant and then pull the ends into a curve to form a “horn.
" Make sure the point is on the bottom so the “horns” will not open up while baking.
Place the almond crescents on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 30 to 40 min, until golden and puffed.
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