Old World Butter Nut Drops Recipes

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Butter Tart Pastry
• Sift flour, salt and sugar together.
• Using pastry blender cut butter into flour mix until resembles course meal.
• Add cold water a bit at a time until dough just starts to hold together. (too much water will make for a tough dough).
• Press dough together and shape into disk.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out tart dough and cut 16 4-inch circles.
• Press dough in muffin cups (try not to stretch dough).
• Refrigerate until filling is prepared.
• Butter Tart Filling
• In large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir until butter is creamed and sugar is dissolved.
• Add eggs, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix well.
• Fill tart shells with filling.
• Bake 400F for 15-20 minutes.
• Filling should be lightly browned and still bubbling.
• Let tarts cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

BUTTER-NUT DROPS

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.

SHERRY BUTTER NUT DROPS

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.

OLD WORLD BUTTER HORNS

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.

LITTLE LEMON DROPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180degrees celsius.
• In a large bowl, mix butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar; cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well; stir in lemon zest and lemon extract. Gradually add flour to mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Pack the dough into a cookie press fitted with desired template or a piping bag.
• Begin cranking and twisting (if you use a cookie presspress) the cookie dough through cookie press, forming desired shapes, or pipe with piping bag onto chilled ungreased cookie sheets about 1-inch apart. (I made mine tiny).
• Bake for around 8-9 mins, depending on the size, and let cool on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.