Ingredients

70g

finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

70g

ground almonds

1/4 tsp

salt

140g

plain flour

110g

best quality salted butter (for instance Lescure or Beurre d'Isigny), softened

35g

caster sugar

1/2 tsp

vanilla extract

vanilla pod, seeds scraped

for dusting

sifted icing sugar

"These melt-in-the-mouth crescent-shaped cookies are Austria’s answer to the shortbread finger, and especially popular during Advent. It is believed the shape symbolises the victory of the Holy Roman Empire over the Ottomans after the two-month Siege of Vienna in the summer of 1683.

Viennese cooks take great pride in shaping them elegantly, so don’t rush this stage of the process.

You can substitute finely chopped almonds for the chopped hazelnuts, if you prefer. I prefer toasted nuts, but for a paler biscuit, you can leave them untoasted.

I don’t normally bother to preheat my oven – it’s a waste of energy – but the timing here is critical, so turn the oven on while you shape the cookies."

Recipe kindly reproduced from Orlando Murrin's latest cosy crime novel Murder Below Deck, published by Transworld Books.

Photo credit: Angela Nilsen

Makes 24 small biscuits

Method

Mix the nuts, flour and salt in a small bowl.
In a stand mixer, or using an electric hand whisk, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and whippy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the vanilla seeds then add the flour and nut mixture and beat until the mixture just comes together.
Handling the dough lightly, remove from the bowl, weigh and divide into two equal pieces. Roll each portion between your fingers into an even cylinder 24 cm long, then slice into 12 discs, to form 24 cookies in total. (Each disc will weigh about 17.5 g.)
Turn the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Take the first disc and shape it into a sausage, 7–8 cm in length, tapering slightly at each end (but not too much or the tips will scorch in the oven). Curve it into a semi-circle then place on the baking tray. Don’t worry if it crumbles – just smooth it together. Repeat with the remaining discs, arranging them 3 cm apart, though these are not cookies which rise very much.
When you’ve shaped all the cookies, bake for 16–19 minutes, rotating the sheets at half time if necessary, until the cookies are still pale, but just beginning to show signs of going golden. Cool on the trays for 3 minutes.
Wait till the cookies are completely cool then tumble in sifted icing sugar to cover completely. Stash in an airtight box for up to a week, redusting with icing sugar if necessary.