Directions: |
Directions:
Put all the dry ingredients together in a bowl or on a board, and make a well in the middle. Put in the shortening, sherry and, if needed, a little warm water. Mix until you have formed a ball. Knead until the dough is smooth and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. You can also mix the dough in a processor.
If you have a pasta machine, you can roll out the dough to its thinnest level, or you may roll out a piece with a rolling pin as thinly as possible. Using a pastry cutter with a fluted edge; cut strips out about 2 wide and 8 long. Holding the dough at one end, begin to pinch the dough about 3/4 apart creating small cups along the strip. Bring the dough around from one end crimping the dough together pinching it along the strip to form a circle. It looks like a pinwheel with pockets about 1/2 to 3/4 big. They can be made in different sizes. These pockets will hold the filling. Secure the ends with a toothpick so that they will not unravel during frying.
Allow the shells to dry out on paper towels on a rack for several hours. You can keep them overnight and fry them the next day. This is important because you dont want them to puff up too much closing the pockets during frying.
Fry in hot oil. Remove when they turn a deep golden color.
You can keep the shells for several days in a cool place before filling them. Do not wrap them with cellophane; keep them in a box or layered in a paper bag.
Filling:
Melt all of the ingredients together, taste for seasoning and place in the refrigerator. Allow the filling to harden just a little. The filling will stay in the shells without dripping out of the pockets if it is a little cool.
Lay the cookies out on wax paper and spoon in the filling over the top. The honey will fill the pockets while the nuts will sit on top of the cookie.
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This recipe for Cluster Cookies is from