I love making Christmas cookies and these are among my family favorites.

Crescent Cookies

There are several different types of crescent cookies. Some are rolled in powdered sugar and filled with a luscious chopped nut filling (my sister, Joyce, makes these). Some are rolled in jam and cinnamon sugar, like the ones in this recipe.

But all crescent cookies have one thing in common—they are a rolled cookie with some sort of filling. I used a strawberry jam but you can use any fruit jam you like. Raspberry or apricot is equally good.

It's better to use jam than either jelly or preserves. Jelly liquefies too much when baked, and the chunks of fruit in preserves (although delicious) makes it harder to roll up the dough to make the crescent shapes.

There are also different recipes for dough. This dough in this recipe has ricotta cheese in it, which makes it easier to roll out and roll up with the filling. It is also rolled in cinnamon sugar. Try the different types, and see which ones you like best. I like them all.

Note: The prep time below includes 2 hours in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raspberry or apricot jam
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange peel

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, sift the flour and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and ricotta cheese with an electric mixer until blended. Beat in 1/2 cup of sugar and orange peel, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
2. With the mixer at low speed, beat in the flour mixture until a dough forms. This takes several minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight).
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sugar and cinnamon. On a board or countertop, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar.
4. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape into balls. Roll out each ball into an 8" round circle. Cut the circle into 8 wedges.
5. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the jam on the wide end of the wedge and roll tight, starting at the wide end. After all the dough is made into crescents. bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool before storing. Enjoy!

Photo Guide

Comments

Devika Primic on January 23, 2020:

Hi keep on sharing your easy to make recipes and creative ideas. You are talented and know how to get me in the kitchen.

Rachel Alba on December 23, 2019:

Hi Peggy. Thanks for visiting and for your nice comment. I appreciate it and it's nice to see your face. Have a blessed Christmas.

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on December 22, 2019:

I am going to pin your recipe to my cookies board and give these a try in the near future. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us. They sound good.

Rachel Alba on December 17, 2019:

Hi Kari, Thank you for your visit and really nice comments. They are encouraging.

Have a Blessed Christmas

Kari Poulsen from Ohio on December 15, 2019:

These look delicious. I need to try them when i do Christmas cookies. I love the photos to show the steps!

Rachel L Alba (author) from Every Day Cooking and Baking on December 12, 2019:

Hi Liz, I'm happy to oblige you with this recipe. Being rolled in cinnamon sugar make them so delicious. Hope you get a chance to try them. Thanks for your comment.

Have a Blessed Christmas

Rachel L Alba (author) from Every Day Cooking and Baking on December 12, 2019:

Hi Linda, Thank you for visiting and for always giving me encouragement.

Have a Blessed Christmas

Liz Westwood from UK on December 11, 2019:

This is a great recipe idea. I have not come across these before.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on December 10, 2019:

Adding ricotta cheese to dough is an interesting idea. I'll try it soon. Thanks for sharing the idea and the recipe, Rachel.

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi Donna. No I haven't, it sounds good though, almost like a canoli filling. Thanks for the idea. Have a blessed Christmas.

Donna Herron from USA on December 10, 2019:

I love this recipe, Rachel! Have you heard of using mini chocolate chips as filling instead of jam?

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi Liza. Thanks for your great comment. I appreciate your visits and thoughts all the time. Have a blessed Christmas

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi KT. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my recipe. I would love to know how yours come out. Have a blessed Christmas

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi Mary, Nice to see you again. Thank you for your comment. Have a blessed Christmas.

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi Pamela. Cream cheese in the dough sounds like a good recipe too. I like to try different ones. Thanks for stopping by and always a nice comment. Have a blessed Christmas.

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi Louise. Louise is my mother's name and my middle name, so it's special to me. Thanks for your visit and comment. Have a blessed Christmas.

Rachel Alba on December 10, 2019:

Hi Rebecca. Thank you so much for your visit and comment.

Have a blessed Christmas.

Liza from USA on December 10, 2019:

Hi Rachel, these cookies look amazing! I bet they were so good. I love the combination of cinnamon in the batter and the strawberry jam-filled. Thanks for sharing the recipe :)

KT Dunn from United States on December 09, 2019:

This sounds like an interesting and easy recipe, and I plan to try it soon!

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on December 09, 2019:

This looks delicious. I will definitely try this.

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on December 09, 2019:

I use to make cookies similar to yours but the dough used cream cheese I think. I haven't done that in a long time. Thank you for your recipe as if I have time I will try them for Christmas.

Louise Powles from Norfolk, England on December 09, 2019:

Thanks for the recipe. This looks lovely. =)

Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on December 09, 2019:

This look so yummy, and I think the ricotta would pair well with the sweetness. Great directions and pics!