A little dusting of magic...

Maybe it leaves a tell-tale sign on your favorite black pants, or leaves your fingers sticky and in need of licking, or falls all over your freshly-mopped floor, but there IS something magical about a dusting of powdered sugar.

Or, could be I think it's magical because it's the closest I'll get to actual snow this winter.

You might think you're cookie'd out from Christmas. Trust me, you're not. You'll need these New Year's Eve...or New Year's Day...or well, any old day.

Toasted pecans, cardamom, cinnamon, and yes, that dusting of powdered sugar makes these babies irresistible.

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Pecan Cardamom Crescents
{adapted from Bon Appetit, makes about 30-36}

for the cookies:
1 cup chopped pecans
2 & 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 TBSP vanilla

for the coating:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Pour the pecans onto one cookie sheet and bake for about 4-5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the sheet and let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, spices, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the toasted pecans in a food processor until a coarse meal forms.

Beat the butter and vanilla until creamy. Beat in the pecan mixture. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, scraping the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until it becomes cohesive.

Measure a heaping tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball with your hands, then roll into a log shape, about 2 inches long. Bend in the ends, pinching gently. Place on the prepared sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottoms turn golden.