Ingredients
1 1/2 cup ground walnuts
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour *
2 teaspoons lemon zest mixed in 1 tablespoon sugar
Icing sugar for dusting
*The measurement is approximate
Directions
Melt butter on low heat. Cool.
Mix butter and sugar until frothy.
Add egg and lemon zest.
Add flour slowly until you have a cookie dough (If it's too soft, add a touch more flour, if it's too hard, add a touch more butter.).
Using a crescent-shaped cookie cutter cut up the cookies.
Place the cookies on a cookie sheet.*
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 14 minutes or until the cookies are golden (If they brown, they'll taste burnt).
Cool.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
* For best results use aluminum cookie sheets that are sold in "Dollar Shops" [e.g. "Titan Foil"] and then place silicon-based baking mats (e.g. Demarle's Silpat). Cheaper aluminum cookie sheets do not conduct heat as well as the more expensive cookie sheets available in specialty shops which surprisingly is a good thing. In aluminum cookware the bottoms of the cookies don't cook faster than the tops, resulting in more evenly-cooked cookies (No burnt cookie bottoms!).
Notes
I like nut cookies, but I found these walnut crescent cookies a bit disappointing. Ground walnuts don't have much taste. Chocolate and walnuts make a good mixture, but on their own, walnuts are rather bland. If you're looking for a nut cookie recipe check out the almond-based recipes. They're generally very good. Photo: Mary Melfi. | 
