This recipe comes from my great grandmother. They come from Austria. When they came to the United States, they came on a boat that wdaas named the Rex, and my grandmother’s maiden name is Rex. My mom’s maiden name is Rex.

My mom is the oldest of nine kids, so her home was always really loud and busy with lots of siblings, cousins, and dogs. I think she went to her grandmother’s house to get some quiet and to study. My great grandmother lived down the street from her in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. They would make cookies and meals.

I remember going there when I was six or seven, and just being there felt so cozy and happy. We would make these cookies, rolling out the dough with our hands to make these little crescent shapes. I
remember the whole family would all play Penny Poker around a big table, and while they were playing, my Nana would eat these little powdered sugar-covered cookies.

I can always remember her dusting off her hands before she would pick up her cards so they didn’t get all full of powdered sugar. It’s a beautiful way to remember everyone and the more simple
hand-body things that connect you to the heart.

The crescent moon shape was what really drew me to this recipe in particular. My mom’s name is Diana, which means “goddess of the moon.”

She was able to study there, and she was always so smart. She became a biology teacher. She’s retired now, but just, you know, I always just admired her intelligence and she’s just a really strong woman. These crescent cookies remind me of that.