Shortcrust Crescents with Dates
Servings: 50 cookies
Equipment
- Food processor or a knife for cutting the butter into the flour
Ingredients
Dough
- 100 g cold butter
- 240 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 10 g vanilla sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 100 g sour cream
- 1 large egg yolk
- a pinch of salt
Filling
- 25 Medjool dates, pitted and halved lengthwise
For Finishing
- a little sugar, for sprinkling
- 1 egg yolk for brushing
Instructions
Making Dough
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sifted flour, baking soda, vanilla sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter, cut into cubes, and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.Note: You can also make the dough using a kitchen knife instead of a food processor; the method is the same.
- Then add the sour cream and a part of egg yolk, and continue processing just until the dough comes together into a ball. Do not overwork it. You should end up with a soft, pliable dough.
- Wrap the dough in plactic wrap and and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 185°C. At the same time remove the dough from the refrigerator.
Making Fillings
- Prepare the dates by removing the pits and cutting each date lengthwise into two halves.
Shaping and Baking
- Divide the dough into 2 parts. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 mm and cut out a 20 cm circle. Use a plate of a suitable diameter as a guide and trace around it with a knife. Or, like I do, use a pastry ring of the right size. Keep in mind that if the dough is rolled thicker, the cookies may unroll in the oven.
- Cut each circle into 16 wedges.
- Place half a date on the wide end of each triangle and roll the dough up around it, croissant-style.
- Brush each crescent with egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 15–17 minutes. The crescents should puff slightly and turn golden brown.
- Let them cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
