When my brother and I were growing up, Hickory Nuts Drops at Christmas Time and Hickory Nut frosting on your birthday cake was a special treat. But unless you are blessed with a Hickory nut tree, or have a secret source, they may be hard to find. I am not sure if Hickory nut trees grow in Germany, but we used to have an abundance of them in Lower Michigan. Sadly, the trees have now all but disappeared. Hickory nuts were used a lot by German immigrants in our area in Michigan. I remember a widow lady in our church, a Mrs. Weidmann. She had Hickory nuts, and she used to sell them by the quart. She also had the most wonderful garden in the summer and she used to peddle her fruits, especially strawberries and vegetables all over our little town in her little red wagon. This recipe is from my grandpa Jenter's first cousin, Adena Lehmann. To us "kids" Adena was always Deanie. This recipe is typical of how my grandmother used to cook. She could not tell you exact amounts. She would say, butter the size of an egg, but never told you if it was a chicken egg or a sparrow egg. Also you should add flour to the dough until it was stiff enough to hold up a spoon, but she never told you how heavy of a spoon. HA!! It has been a couple of years since my mom and I made these at Christmas time, so I cannot tell you exactly how much flour to use, I would start with a tablespoon at a time. And then bake them for 4-5 minutes to see if they are lightly golden on the bottom and set. This recipe from my grandpa's cousin is a most cherished recipe in our German Cookie Recipe collection. I hope you enjoy them also. Hickory Nut Drops 6 large egg whites 1 lb powdered sugar 1 c hickory nutmeats, ground finely 1 tsp baking powder 1 ½ tsp vanilla or lemon extract flour Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually adding sugar and nuts. Add baking powder and flavoring. Add enough flour so mix will drop from a spoon and still mound on the cookie sheet. Bake in a quick oven, 325 degrees until just set. Carefully remove from a pan, store in an airtight container. This is also the way my grandmother and aunts cooked, they could not tell you exactly the measurements. It was butter the size of an egg, but they never told you how big of an egg. HA!! It has been several years since my mom and I made these cookies. I would say add the flour a tablespoon at a time. You just have to experiment. I would bake them about 7 minutes and check to see if the bottom is light golden and the cookie is set. Karen JENTER Michigan USA