Memories of my Mother – Anneliese’s Almond Crescents
The holidays can be bittersweet when you’ve lost family, but mystery author Judy Penz Sheluk shares one way to remember them with joy!
In my recent release, Skeletons in the Attic: A Marketville Mystery, my protagonist, Calamity (Callie) Barnstable, is searching for clues that might help her find out more about her mother—a woman who disappeared thirty years earlier, when Callie was just six-years-old. As Callie digs through a box of her mother’s belongings, she finds a peanut butter cookie recipe that bears a striking resemblance to the recipe my mom used to bake.
But this is Christmas time, and it seemed only fitting to share a holiday cookie recipe. For that, I went to The Hanged Man’s Noose: A Glass Dolphin Mystery, where Glass Dolphin antiques shop owner Arabella Carpenter is known for her love of Scottish shortbread. I also love shortbread, though my particular passion is for Almond Crescents.
My passion for cookies probably stems back to my childhood. My mom wasn’t much of a cook (a trait I have sadly inherited), and in truth, she wasn’t much of a baker (isn’t that what bakeries are for?) but every Christmas, she would bake a huge batch of shortbread cookies called Almond Crescents. She would let me twist the dough into crescent shapes, and if I was really, really good, she’d let me sprinkle powered sugar over them after they were freshly baked.
This will be my first Christmas without my mom. An avid reader, she was my greatest supporter and biggest fan: she actually gave out my bookmarks to the nurses and doctors in the hospital! I take comfort in the fact that Skeletons in the Attic was the last book she read, and I know she’d be proud to share her recipe with you.
PS: if you really want the Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, email me at judy@judypenzsheluk.com and I’ll send you the PDF.
Anneliese’s Almond Crescents – Makes 45 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the real deal, not the artificial kind)
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ground almonds (bulk food stores are a good place to find these)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (put in a sifter for best results)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° and grease cookie sheets (enough for 45 cookies).
Mix together butter with sugar and beat with a mixed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and almond extract and continue to beat until incorporated. Stir in the flour and almonds. Work flour mixture into a firm dough
Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, shape into logs. The log should be slightly thicker in the middle than at both ends. Bend into a crescent shape.
Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown. While the cookies are still warm, sift crescents with powdered sugar. Cool on racks.
About Judy
Judy Penz Sheluk’s debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose (Barking Rain Press), was published in July 2015. Skeletons in the Attic (Imajin Books), the first book in her Marketville Mystery Series, was published in August 2016.
Judy’s short crime fiction appears in World Enough and Crime, The Whole She-Bang 2, The Whole She-Bang 3, Flash and Bang and Live Free or Tri. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.
Find Judy on her website/blog at www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews other authors and blogs about the writing life. You can also find Judy on Facebook (facebook.com/JudyPenzSheluk) and Twitter (@JudyPenzSheluk) and on her Amazon author page, amazon.com/author/judypenzsheluk.
Find her books:
Skeletons in the Attic – http://www.imajinbooks.com/skeletons-in-the-attic
The Hanged Man’s Noose – http://barkingrainpress.org/hanged-mans-noose/
kathybryson 
Thank you Judy! I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Hi Judy, The almond crescents look and sound delicious. I’m sorry to hear about your mother’s death. I’m sure she’s smiling down from heaven and recalling all the wonderful Christmases you shared. Take care!
Thanks Joanne. They are delicious and I know my mom is handing out bookmarks in heaven 🙂
Thanks for hosting me today, Kathy. I also have a PDF of the almond crescent recipe, if someone wants to print it off. I’m also happy to answer any questions.