Honey Fritter Cookies Recipe

How to make it

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• In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream sugar, butter and olive oil until well mixed, about 2-3 minutes.
• Mixture will look a little crumbly.
• Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, blending on medium-low speed until incorporated.
• Add salt, baking powder, and one cup of flour at a time, blending on low speed, until flour is dispersed into the sugar, butter and egg mixture.
• Add milk, then blend until dough starts to form a ball.
• ~Take paddle attachment off mixer and replace with dough hook. Knead dough for 1-2 minutes, until it has formed a smooth ball.
• (You can quickly knead the dough by hand instead, if you prefer.) Remove dough from bowl -- it will feel a little sticky -- and cut dough in half.
• ~Wrap one piece of the dough in plastic wrap and sprinkle the other piece of dough with flour.
• ~When dough is rolled out, cut dough into 8 inch strips, about 3/4 inch wide, with a sharp knife or ravioli cutter (my favorite tool because it gives a pretty scalloped edge).
• See if you can lift each strip up. If any of the strips are sticking to the wax paper, a little bit of flour and a metal spatula should loosen it.
• ~Now you are ready to form the cookies.
• The directions may seem involved, but there really is not a right or wrong way to do this.
• No matter what you do, the cookies will be beautiful! Working with one strip at any time, gently twist it as though you are twisting crepe paper for a child's party.
• Then bring both ends together.
• Cross the ends of the dough so that they form an X.
• (There should be about 1 1/2 inches from where the X forms to the end of each piece of dough.)
• Wrap one end of the X over and under the other end of the dough, as if you were starting to tie a shoe.
• Press your thumb gently, where the dough is now joined together. Place cookie on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour.
• Continue forming cookies until you have used up all of the strips. Remove the plastic wrap from the remaining piece of dough, and roll it out, following above directions.
• Cut into strips and form strips into cookies.
• Place all cookies on the cookie sheet.
• ~Now you are ready to fry! In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil until a candy thermometer registers 300 degrees.
• Working in batches, carefully drop each cookie into the hot oil.
• Oil will sizzle and bubble.
• If it is splattering furiously, turn heat down.
• If bubbling is not really detectable, turn heat up.
• Fry cookies for about two minutes on the first side.
• When they have turned a golden, caramel color, turn cookies over with a slotted spoon or spider.
• Fry cookies on the second side for about 1 minute or until second side is a lovely golden brown. Keep a careful eye on the cookies.
• They can burn in an instant. When cookies have finished frying, remove to a wire rack fitted over a baking sheet. Let cool.
• ~Last step -- adding the honey glaze: In a small saucepan, heat honey and 1 tablespoon water over low heat just until honey warms.
• If consistency, looks too thick, add a little more water, a teaspoonful at a time.
• When honey is warmed (but not hot!), take a silicone or pastry brush, and gently brush warmed honey over all surfaces of the cookies, until they are coated with honey and look beautiful and shiny.
• Just before serving, sprinkle cookies with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
• ~Enjoy with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea or a mug of strong black coffee. I strongly recommend dipping them!
• Note: Cookies can be made in advance and frozen for a couple of months or kept at room temperature for a week.
• It is best to add the honey glaze just before serving because the honey will soften the cookies a bit.