Polish Vanilla Crescents

This is my first day of Xmas cookie baking.  I'm slow again this year.  Baking 1500 cookies for the wedding a few months ago made me run out of cookie steam. I'm going to try different cookie recipes this year to jump start my cookie mojo.  I made these this morning.

 The ingredients:

• 7 ounces softened butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped of its seeds  Use the best ones you can find.
• 3 1/2 ounces ground (not chopped) almonds
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if necessary( I used it )
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

 Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together 7 ounces softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean and 3 1/2 ounces ground (not chopped) almonds, and mix again.
    
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Add it to the butter-sugar mixture and thoroughly combine. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.
    

Next:

1. On parchment-lined baking sheets, portion out small balls of dough. Roll into a pencil shape in the hands and then shape into small crescents. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are golden.
    
2. Mix 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar. While cookies are still on the baking pan, sprinkle with sugar mixture. Let cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container.

 The dough needs a bit of milk.

 Before baking.

 Right out of the oven.  I doubled the recipe and got about 65 cookies.

 I find that these cookies always improve in taste after a few days.

So, let the baking begin!