Thankful Thursday--Apricot Crescents

I have so many things to be thankful for, but one of them is that I am still able to share my joy of baking with others.  Today we baked and delivered four plates to some special friends from our church celebrating birthdays and others "just because".

Apricot, coconut & pecan crescents

I normally bake these with apples and pecans

AUSTRIAN SOUR CREAM APPLE PECAN CRESCENTS

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home publication around 2000. They were

one of my best sellers at our local farmer's market the summer of 2001.

Everybody loves them!

1 pkg. (¼ oz.) dry yeast

3 C. flour

1 C. butter, softened

1 C. (8 oz.) sour cream

3 egg yolks, beaten

½ C. sugar

½ C. finely chopped pecans

¾ tsp. cinnamon

1 med. tart apple, peeled, cored & finely chopped (I like Granny Smith)



Combine yeast and flour; add butter and mix well (I like to do this by hand,

gently working butter throughout the flour until it is like cornmeal). Add

egg yolks and sour cream; mix well. Shape into four balls and place on

plastic wrap. Flatten slightly and seal. Refrigerate overnight or at least

several hours.



In a small bowl, combine sugar, pecans and cinnamon; set aside. On a floured

surface, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Sprinkle with sugar

mixture and chopped apple. Cut each circle into 16 wedges; roll up from wide

edge and pinch to seal. Place with point side down on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 º for 16 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately

remove to wire racks to cool.

Icing:

1 C. powdered sugar

4 tsp. milk

¼ tsp. vanilla

finely chopped pecans (optional)



Combine sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth; drizzle over the crescents

while they are still slightly warm. Sprinkle with pecans if desired.

Note: These contain yeast but no rising is required before baking. I like to

use a little strong coffee for some of the liquid in the icing. These are

not quite a cookie, not quite a roll, not quite a pastry...but something

wonderful.


After I'd been making these for awhile I realized that I actually had copied down an almost identical recipe in my personal collection probably sometime in the 70's.  That version called for apricot preserves, coconut and pecans and that is what I did today for the first time. 

Hope  you try them!