Delicious Nut Cookies

These drop cookies come from the Pennsylvania Dutch baking tradition, where dried fruit and nuts in a buttery dough is about as classic as it gets. Walnuts, raisins, and currants pack the batter, so every bite has something to chew on.

The method is old-school: cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time, dissolve the baking soda in hot water before adding it. That dissolved soda trick predates modern baking powder and gives the cookies a slightly different rise than you’d get from just tossing dry soda into the flour. The cinnamon runs through the whole batch, warming up the fruit and nut flavor without overpowering it.

Drop these by spoonfuls an inch apart. They spread a bit but stay thick and cakey rather than flat and crisp.

Kitchen Tips

• Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each. This builds structure and keeps the dough from getting greasy or separating.
• Dissolve the baking soda fully in the hot water before adding. Undissolved soda leaves bitter spots in the finished cookies.
• Chop the raisins so they distribute evenly. Whole raisins tend to clump together in the dough.
• Cool on the pan for two minutes before moving to a rack. These are soft and tear easily when hot.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans or almonds as the recipe suggests. Pecans give a sweeter, more buttery flavor.
• Add a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon for a deeper spice profile.
• Replace currants with dried cranberries for a tart, brighter fruit note.