1 1/4 pound almonds, ground fine
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup pine nuts, chopped
granulated sugar
sweetened milk, optional

Cream butter and sugar together until very soft. Then carefully blend in the ground almonds, salt, vanilla and flour. The dough will be rather firm. Cut off pieces about the size of prunes and roll them into little cigar-shaped pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Roll these in the chopped pine nuts and bend them into a half-moon shape. Place these 1-inch apart on greased baking pans.

Bake at 350°F for 15-to-20 minutes. The crescents should not be browned. Cool about 5 minutes, then sprinkle with a little granulated sugar or brush with heavily sweetened milk.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies