Powell: Enjoy this special hickory nut creation

How sweet it is when Joe and Judy Zilke come to visit.

I confess to peeking out of the window when I hear their car door shut to see if Joe is carrying a plate with protective wrap.

I know from past visits, Joe has gotten into his secret stash of hickory nuts and made cookies. Sharing even one or two of the cookies is difficult.

Before becoming friends with Joe and Judy, I hadn’t had anything made with hickory nuts since my grandmother made cookies and cakes for birthdays and the holidays, using the nuts from a hickory nut tree in the woods on the farm.

I am certain that Joe will agree that procuring the nuts and preparing them to use in baking is far more labor intensive than making the recipe.

Joe does a masterful job making the cookies from the recipe he found on Pinterest.

But the nut preparation takes planning. After they are picked, the nuts are dried in the shells. The next step is to crack them open with a hammer.

Then comes the tedious task of removing the nutmeat. Joe uses a tiny screwdriver to remove the nuts and has found that doing the task while watching television releases the boredom and monotony.

Joe stores the nutmeats in the freezer.

Ideally, hickory nuts are obtainable on trees. The Zilkes have three hickory nut trees in the backyard at Vineyard Lake. But bakers, who want to savor hickory nut flavor and appearance and don’t mind the cost, can purchase them ready to go. Amazon lists three ounces of hickory nutmeats for $21.99. On eBay, shelled Wisconsin hickory nut pieces are listed for $25.00 for eight ounces.

Or better yet, you can plant a hickory nut tree in the fall. It only takes from 20 to 40 years for a tree to bare fruit!

Joe is retired from Wacker Chemical Corp., located in Lenawee County.

When I called Joe to get the cookie recipe that may be best with hickory nuts, but also works with pecans and other varieties, lo and behold, the Zilkes were in Hocking Hills, Ohio. They were spending the holiday weekend with Gary and Janet McDowell of Adrian who were celebrating their 62nd wedding anniversary. Gary is a past mayor of Adrian.

During the conversation, I learned Joe’s culinary talent is not limited to cookies. Janet and Gary expounded on the bountiful breakfast Joe prepares every morning in their rental cottage. Joe’s famous jalapeno poppers, with the cream filled breaded peppers, fit comfortably into the frequent canasta and other card games.

Joe’s Hickory Nut Cookies with Maple Icing

Set oven for 350 degrees

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup shortening

¼ cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour, sifted

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup hickory nuts

Sift flour, baking powder and salt.

Set aside. Cream together brown sugar, shortening and butter using a mixer. Add half of the dry ingredients.

Mix on low. Add other half of dry ingredients and mix. Fold in hickory nuts last. Form into golf ball size balls.

Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 12-14 minutes until they start to brown around the edges. Let cool.

Maple Icing

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 tbsp. cream

1 tbsp. maple syrup

Mix together until smooth.