Traditional New Year’s Cookies: our once a year sweet treat calorie blowout:
puffed fritters hot from the oil, dusted in confectioner’s sugar,
with golden raisins bursting in your mouth at first bite.

Oh, and did I say these little doughballs are a family tradition,

both in my husband’s family and in my family.

Of course, his family made them a little different than ours,

which isn’t a surprise, as we grew up in different countries.

We both have a German-Mennonite background, so that explains why our New Year’s Eve big celebration includes cooking something extremely good but necessarily extremely calorie-ridden. The more fattening the better, tradition demands when you have German background!

So we’ve eaten these traditional New Year’s Cookies, or “Portzelky” as my mom’s family called them, in many places and with many different people.

At a resort in the Ozarks with his family.

At a camp on a lake in the north-woods of Manitoba, Canada. With my family.

After skating under the northern lights, when a fresh, warm fritter with hot chocolate is bliss.

And here in our Arizona home with the windows open to keep the house cool enough.

With raisins, and without for the haters, some with powdered sugar, some with granulated sugar,

something for everyone!

Traditional New Year’s Cookies Recipe

The year I first posted this, our party was small and at home. Because of the Covid pandemic.

Our son, his wife and our grand-daughters.

Maybe the two-sided puzzle on the table that a sweet neighbor gifted Kim for Christmas.

With the smell of hot oil and warm yeast in the air. Maybe some cinnamon in the sugar we sift over them.

This year, going into 2024, is a nice, big, rollicking party with our son and his “girls” and my husband’s brother and his whole family. It took us about 3 hours to mix, rise and fry 2 recipes of cookies.

MM-mm-mm.

Wish you could join us.

Since you can’t, here’s the recipe for you to try yourself:

Print Recipe

Traditional New Year’s Cookies

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients:

4 tsp yeast
½ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
1½ cup warm milk
4 tbsp. soft butter
4 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour
1-2 cup soaked and drained raisins, optional

Instructions

Mix The Dough:

Soak the raisins in warm water for an hour and drain while mixing the yeast part.
Wake up the yeast in the warm water and sugar, about 10 minutes or until spongy.
Whisk the eggs well in a large mixing bowl, then add the milk and butter. Add the yeast mixture and mix well.
If you plan to use raisins, coat the well-drained raisins with 2 cups of flour. This helps keep the raisins from popping out of the dough while rising and/or frying.
Add 3 cups of flour to the liquid ingredients. Incorporate the raisins/flour mixture into the dough.
Cover and let rise until doubled.

Fry the New Year's Cookies:

Heat a pot of oil to 350°.
Drop dough into hot oil with a tablespoon. Fill the surface of the oil with doughballs, but not so they stick together. Turn them when the bottom turns golden brown.
When both sides are golden brown, remove from oil to a paper towel lined pan.
Dust them with the sugar of choice. Our family used powdered sugar, my husband's used granulated sugar. My sister made doughnut glaze. Yum.
Eat warm with a mug of hot, black coffee.

Our Favorite Tools for Making New Year’s Cookies

This is our list of kitchen tools you may or may not have in your kitchen that help make frying these delicious little dough bites a bit easier. The links for purchasing these tools are affiliate links.

Because we all know that deep frying can make a huge mess and a permeating non-Holiday-ish smell in the house, be sure to have some good quality candles on hand. A good chef’s candle can help burn up those fat molecules before they settle into your upholstered furniture and bedding. Open windows, use the ventilation fan, and the scent will soon dissipate.

Helpful Supplies for this recipe:

heavy (cast iron, according to our family tradition) deep pan for heating oil
thermometer to test the oil
slotted spoon for removing fritters from hot oil
chef’s candle and candle lighter

I’m probably making these as you’re reading this, New Year’s Eve, the cusp of a new beginning…

Traditional New Year’s Cookies for 2024

Traditional New Year’s Cookies Recipe