Day 20 - Cardamom Crescents

I was drawn to this recipe because of the cardamom.  I am a little obsessed with the spice.  I was watching Demaris Phillips on Food Network and she said she adds cardamom to anything that has cinnamon.  That gave me the idea to add it to my pumpkin bread.  I loved the addition.  It has a certain warmth that complements the cinnamon beautifully.  Cardamom reminds me of my mom.  She used cardamom a lot in her cooking so just the smell of the spice feels like a warm hug from mom.  She was an incredible cook and it was her way to show you how much she loved you. If she knew you loved a particular food, she would make sure to make it when you came over.  Whether it was chicken parmesan or homemade french fries for her grandchildren, or cheesecake or apple pie she remembered that you loved, she made sure that it was on the menu when you came over.  This recipe made me think of her and I can't wait to share these light, melt in your mouth cookies with the special people in my life.

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I think it could have used a little bit more, next time I will add 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 and 1/2 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 cup pecans (I toasted them lightly, to enhance the flavor)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Whisk first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and pecans in a food processor; pulse until coarse meal forms.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter and vanilla in a medium bowl until creamy, 2-3 minutes.  Add nut mixture; beat to blend.  Add dry ingredients; blend well ( dough will be moist but still crumbly).  Transfer to a work surface; knead to form a ball, about 4 turns.

Measure 1 rounded tablespoon of dough; form into a ball, then roll into a 1 and 1/2 inch long log (ours might have been almost 2).  Gently bend into a crescent shape, pinching the ends to taper (cookies may crack slightly).  Repeat with remaining dough, spacing about 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets.

Bake until bottoms are golden, 12-15 minutes.  Sift remaining 1 cup powdered sugar into a shallow wide bowl.  Working in batches of about 8 cookies each, roll warm cookies gently in powdered sugar to coat.  Transfer to wire rack to let cool.  Roll or dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar.  Can be made 5 days ahead.  Store airtight at room temperature.  I freeze them after they are cooled to keep them fresher.