Turkish Crescent Cookies with Spiced Walnut Filling
Rustic yet refined, these crescents are a perfect not-too-sweet treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
- MakesMakes eighteen 3½-inch cookies
- Cook Time1½ hours
- Active time plus cooling1 hour active, plus cooling
- 4
During a trip to Istanbul, we tasted ay çöreği, generously sized moon-shaped pastry-like cookies with an aromatic nut and spice filling. Rustic yet refined, the crescents were a perfect not-too-sweet treat with a cup of tea or coffee. The otherwise basic dough includes a little yeast. The leavener does not provide airiness as it would in a yeasted bread, but it does make the crumb a bit lighter and more tender. To make the filling, Turkish bakeries are said to use cake scraps, mixing them with nuts, dried fruits and sometimes cocoa. We use fluffy, coarse panko breadcrumbs, plus walnuts, raisins, spices, sugar and lemon zest to brighten the flavors. The baked crescents keep well; after cooling, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Don’t use regular fine, dry breadcrumbs in the filling. Their dusty, powdery texture will make the mixture too thick and pasty. Panko is the best type of breadcrumbs to use here.
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