We celebrated today just like one year ago with New Year's Cookies. Or Portzelky if you like to keep it real, like I do. Hah.
Here's the recipe. I've never tried halving it, but it would be a good idea if you don't have minions to feed. Also, it is certainly not dairy-free. Luckily, we had a little help since I made them for our "Holla' 2008" brunch today. You need to serve these with loads of fruit and something savory, but truth be told, the rest of the food goes largely ignored.
New Year's Cookies (makes about 6 dozen)
- 4 cups milk
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups raisins (I always use golden ones)
- 1 TB salt
- 1/2 cup sugar (dissolved into the milk), plus extra for rolling
- 2 TB melted butter
- 2 pkg. yeast
- approx 7 cups flour
- oil for deep frying (I use canola)
Dissolve yeast plus 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Let bloom a little. Add everything else in, with flour going in last. Let rise to double in bulk. Stir down once and let rise again. Drop tablespoons full of batter into hot fat (approx. 375 degrees). Serve warm, rolled in sugar.
I try to start early in the morning, so that I can be making them while company is actually here. Our house is cold/no sunny window, so in order for the dough to rise properly I try to fit my batter bowl over a smaller bowl with hot water in it. The steam from the bottom moves things along nicely. An electric hot pad around the whole thing works will also work quite well. The dough is quite runny, and all the raisins fall to the bottom, so you have to be a little aggressive. The dough is also really pretty, but it's hard to take pictures when you're babysitting hot oil. You know how it is.
