Late October is a good time for foraging nuts. Not only for squirrels and chipmunk, but for us too. We've picked acorns to make cookies, but our favourite nut is hickory. Hickory nuts contain a high amount of "good fat" and their taste resembles something between a pecan and a walnut. When it is freshly cracked and baked into cookies, it is an enjoyable moment to just sit and savour the flavour. You will be amazed how nutty it actually tastes. I would say it is even better than peanut.
You can buy hickory nuts at the store, but they usually lose the profound flavour and some of the good fat content after the prolonged period of storage.
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| Picking hickory nuts in the wood and sensing the small animals watching me. |
Hickory Nut has two layers of hard shell to protect the delicious flesh. The outer layer is green, but later it will turn into a deep brown colour, and then it will crack open to expose the second layer of the shell.
The second shell has a much lighter brown colour and it is the layer we need to work on if you want to get to the flesh.
In the woods, most of the hickory nuts I found were already out of the outer shell so all I needed to do was just to pick them up and put them in the backpack.
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| Hickory nuts in their shells. |
Hickory Nuts Cookies
山胡桃曲奇
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Hickory Nuts
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
a pinch of Sea Salt
How to make it:
1. Rinse the hickory nuts a few times to remove the dirt that sticks to the shells.
2. With a nut cracker, crack open the hickory nuts.
3. Use a sharp tool to take out the flesh.
Or you can use any method that works best for you. A hammer, perhaps?
It was the result after I worked for three hours. Eating wild edibles is not always easy, but the fresh nuts was a wonderful trade off.
4. Place the nuts on a foiled tray, roast it in the pre-heated oven at 360 F for about 10 minutes, or until they are nicely browned and fragrant. Be careful not to burn it. They burn fast because of the high fat content.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
6. With a fork, mix the ingredients until well combined.
7. Add flour. Combine and roll it into a dough by hand. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water.
8. Add hickory nuts. Continuously knead the dough until it is well combined.
9. Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll it out into a 1 cm sheet.
10. Cut out the shape with a cookie cutter and transfer it onto a lined baking tray.
11. If you're not up for shaping the dough, just simply roll the dough into many small balls and press them down with a fork. (my favourite way to make cookies)
12. Bake the cookies in the pre-heated oven at 360 F for 12-15 minutes and they are ready.
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