Pistachio Filled Crescents Recipes

PISTACHIO-FILLED CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Stir together flour and baking powder. Stir together yogurt, oil, and yolks in another bowl, then gradually add flour, stirring until a soft dough forms. Put dough in a sealed plastic bag and let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
• Pulse pistachios, confectioners sugar, and cardamom in a food processor until finely ground (be careful not to overprocess into a paste). Bring water and sugar to a boil in a very small saucepan, stirring, then add syrup to pistachios and pulse to combine.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide dough in half. Keeping one half wrapped in plastic wrap, roll out other half on a well-floured surface into a 15-inch round (about 1/16 inch thick). Cut out as many rounds as possible with a 2 3/4-inch cutter and add scraps to wrapped dough for rerolling. Mound 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round, then moisten edge of round with water and fold over to form a half-moon. Pinch edges together, then crimp with a fork to seal.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling, rerolling scraps.
• Bake crescents 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets in batches in middle of oven until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer parchment with crescents to a rack and when cookies are just cool enough to handle, toss, a few at a time, in confectioners sugar to coat, knocking off excess. Cool crescents completely on rack.

ORANGE PISTACHIO CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolks and 3 tablespoon water with a fork and stir into flour (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Gently squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, stir (or pulse) in 1 tablespoon more water. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and divide in half. Form each half into a 4-inch square. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make filling:
• Cut off peel, including white pith, from orange with a sharp knife and finely chop. (Reserve fruit for another use.) Put peel in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then fill with water. Add salt and bring to a boil, then boil, uncovered, 10 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve.
• Bring granulated sugar and water (3/4 cup) to a boil in saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Add peel to syrup. Gently simmer, uncovered, until peel begins to turn translucent and syrup is reduced to about 2/3 cup, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Drain peel in fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, reserving 3 tablespoon syrup. Stir together peel, reserved syrup, and pistachios. Cool to room temperature.
• Makes cookies:
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle. Cut out 16 to 20 rounds with cookie cutter.
• Put a scant teaspoon filling on each round, then brush edge lightly with water and fold pastry over filling to form a half-moon. Press edges to seal. Shape each into a crescent by pushing a finger against middle of flat side.
• Bake 1 inch apart on baking sheet until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to a rack to cool 2 minutes. Toss warm cookies, a few at a time, in confectioners sugar to coat generously. Cool completely.
• Repeat with remaining dough (cool baking sheet and line with fresh parchment). Reroll scraps once for extra cookies if desired.