Nut Crescents - aka Sand Tarts

These are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. My mom makes them every year. This year, I decided I wanted to make them. This would let me try out the recipe and give my mom some help with the hectic holiday baking. Funny enough, the night before I was going to make them, Paula Deen made them on her cookie swap show. Her recipe is the same, the only difference is she cooks them lower and slower. I will put her recipe here. You may be wondering why they are called sand tarts. The cookie has almost a sand like texture because it crumbles and melts in your mouth. It is SO delicious!

Nut Crescents aka Sand Tarts
Courtesy of Paula Deen
(Printable Recipe)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar (you will need more for dusting the cookies after they bake)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans (almost to consistency of raw sugar)

1. Preheat oven to 270F.
2. Using a mixture on low speed cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla. Add in the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula.
3. Take 1 Tbsp of dough and shape into a crescent. Place 1-2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake 40 minutes.
5. While still warm, dredge cookies in confectioners sugar. (Careful because they break easily when warm) Allow to cool completely on racks. Store in airtight container.

YUM!