Cornulețe, Romanian hazelnut caramel crescents

Name: Cornulețe, Romanian hazelnut caramel crescents
Ingredients: 150 g raw hazelnuts; 600 g flour; 500 g butter at room temperature; 50 g caramel pudding powder; 200 g sugar; 1 tablespoon rum extract; 1 g salt; 1 level tablespoon baking powder; 100 g powdered sugar

Dessert - Cornulețe, Romanian hazelnut caramel crescents by Eleonora L. - Recipia

Lightly toasted hazelnuts set the tone for Cornulețe, Romanian hazelnut caramel crescents, baked at 180 °C. The tender dough, made with butter and caramel pudding powder, is chilled before shaping, then the crescents are coated in powdered sugar while still warm. I watch the hazelnuts and stop when golden spots appear, before they get too dark. Prep: 35 minutes. Cook: 50 minutes. Rest: 30 minutes. Total time: 115 minutes. Servings: 20. About 400 kcal and 5 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

150 g raw hazelnuts
600 g flour
500 g butter at room temperature
50 g caramel pudding powder
200 g sugar
1 tablespoon rum extract
1 g salt
1 level tablespoon baking powder
100 g powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes, until a few golden spots appear. Leave them to cool, rub off as much of the skins as you can, then grind them finely. 2. Mix the flour and room-temperature butter by hand. Add the ground hazelnuts, caramel pudding powder, sugar, rum extract, salt and baking powder. Mix until you have a dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. 3. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 4. Break off pieces of dough and roll them into logs about 1 cm in diameter. Cut the logs into 3 cm pieces and bend each piece into a U shape. 5. Arrange the crescents on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for about 45 minutes, until lightly browned. 6. Roll the warm crescents in powdered sugar.

Notes

Fresh hazelnuts smell clean and slightly sweet; if they smell like old oil, that unpleasant flavor will remain after baking. For an even grind, use the grinder in short bursts, with pauses, so the hazelnuts don’t turn into an oily paste. When bending the logs, work gently and don’t squeeze the dough, so you don’t flatten it. In a tightly sealed container, the crescents keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. For a different flavor, you can replace the hazelnuts with 150 g walnuts; the crescents contain gluten, dairy and hazelnuts or other tree nuts. Serve with black tea.