Old World Butter Nut Drops Recipes

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar well.
• Add egg yolk, vanilla, orange and lemon zest and salt; beat well.
• Stir in lemon juice and flour.
• Cover and chill 3 or more hours.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Roll dough into 40 small balls of about 1/2 rounded teaspoon each.
• Dip balls into the slightly beaten egg white, then roll in the chopped nuts.
• Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet, and press 1/2 candied cherry on top of each.
• Bake 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Add vegetable oil to a large, heavy Dutch oven or deep-fryer to a depth of about 3 inches. Slowly heat the oil until it registers 365 to 375 degrees on a candy or deep-fry thermometer.
• Meanwhile, sift 1 cup of the flour and the salt, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Add the nutmeg and sugar and stir well with a wire whisk to thoroughly blend. Sift the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour into a small bowl and set aside. In a third bowl, lightly beat the egg and the egg white, then stir in the buttermilk and cooled melted butter. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients all at once, then stir with a large looped whisk or a wooden spoon until the batter is almost smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining flour, stirring just enough to moisten the flour and smooth out most of the lumps. Do not overbeat the batter or it may become gluey and the fritters will be tough.
• Have a large plate lined with several layers of paper towel near the stove. Place the cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl and have a second platter ready to hold the finished doughnuts. When the oil has reached the right temperature, gently drop spoonfuls of the batter about the size of a large egg into the hot oil in batches of three or four. Cooking more fritters at a time may cause the oil temperature to drop too severely. Keep an eye on the thermometer--the temperature will initially jump when the batter is added, then drop slightly. Try to keep it within 5 or 10 degrees of 365 by playing with the number of fritters in the pot. Too low a heat will cause the fritters to absorb too much oil, while too high a heat will burn the outsides before the insides are properly cooked.
• Fry the doughnuts for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning once or twice so they cook evenly. When they are a deep amber brown, transfer them to the paper towels with a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon. Let the fritters cool for a minute or so, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar and set them on the platter (or, as in my house, directly into somebody's open, waiting hand). Allow the temperature of the oil to recover before adding the next batch of doughnuts and repeat until all of the batter is used. Like most fritters, these doughnuts are best eaten as soon as they are fried, as they tend to get soggy and unappetizing with standing.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix the flour into the butter mixture, alternating with the sherry, making sure to finish with the flour. Stir in the ground pecans.
• Drop by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet and roll each portion between your palms to make smooth, even balls. Press each one into the cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg white. Using a fork, knife or another tool, press a design into the top of each cookie, or press a pecan half, right side up, into each ball or dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Cool and let cookies sit overnight to ripen. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Add salt to flour and sift if needed.
• Use a food processor to quickly cut chilled butter and cottage cheese into flour as with making any pastry dough (process until dough forms ball). Two dinner knives will also work well, if a food processor is not available.
• Divide dough into 4 equal parts, form into balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.
• Remove chilled dough balls from the refrigerator one at a time and sprinkle with flour.
• Roll each ball into a 8-10 inch circle on a well floured surface.
• Cut circles into 8 wedges (pie slice style).
• Place 1 teaspoons of cooled filling near edge of wide end of wedge, roll up towards small end and form each cookie into a crescent (horn).
• Place folded side down on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven (400F) for 15-20 minutes.
• Place on rack to cool and sprinkle immediately with powdered sugar.
• FILLING.
• Place all filling ingredients into heavy saucepan (cast iron preferred).
• While stirring continuously, cook until it forms a thick solid sticky mass.
• Set aside to cool thoroughly before use.

Steps:

• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt and continue mixing. Add flour alternately with sherry wine, beating well after each addition. Sit in nuts. Drop from teaspoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool on rack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.
• Mix the flour into the butter mixture, alternating with the sherry, making sure to finish with the flour.
• Stir in the ground pecans.
• Drop by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet, then roll each portion between your palms to make smooth, even balls.
• Press each one onto the cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg white.
• Using a fork, knife or another tool, press a design into the top of each cookie, or press a pecan half, right side up, into each ball or dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes.
• Remove to wire rack to cool completely.
• Cool and let cookies sit overnight to ripen.
• Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar well. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Beat well.
• Sift the cake flour and add to the butter mixture along with the juice and grated zest. Mix thoroughly and place in covered bowl. Chill several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using 1/2 teaspoon of the dough per ball, roll the dough into tiny balls. Dip the balls into slightly beaten egg white, then roll in the ground nuts.
• Place on a greased cooky sheet one inch apart. Press 1/2 of a candied cherry on top of each.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until very lightly browned.