Recipe(tried): Grandma Min's Christmas Peltz - Melissa, don't know if this is what you are looking for....

While not considered a cookie in my family, your post sounded a little like my Grandma Min's Christmas Peltz. My DH & I are headed to Phx on Sunday for our traditional Grandma Min's Peltz making with my family. Grandma Min, who was German and lived in Michigan (My Dad's Mom) made these on Christmas Eve, leaving the dough to rise while they went to Christmas Eve church service and frying them when they got home. Her exact recipe instructions after the ingredient list were, "Let rise twice, then third. Fry in Crisco. Dust with sugar.", over the years we have worked out some more instructions, making it a BIT easier to follow! I have also made them mixing the yeast with the flour first. We now usually make them sometime between Christmas and New Years usually the same day as Lefse, a tradition added by my brother's wife's family.

GRANDMA MIN'S CHRISTMAS PELTZ

2 pkg. active dry yeast (not the quick-rise variety)
1 cup warm water
2 cups milk, scalded
1 cup warm water
3/4 cup Crisco (if you buy Crisco in the stick form for this it's SO easy to measure)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs well-beaten
grated rind of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
10 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
Oil or Crisco for deep-frying (I buy the big container for this, and still have to add more occasionally during the frying to keep them floating)
granulated sugar for dusting

Soften the yeast in cold water. Combine with warm water, scalded milk, and the 3/4 cup of Crisco in a large bowl. Stir until Crisco melts. Beat well. Add beaten eggs, one cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon rind and 4 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour by hand. Dough will be very soft and sticky. Stir in raisins. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and then a warm, damp towel. Let rise in a warm place free of drafts until doubled.

Flour hands well and punch dough down. Cover as before and let rise again until doubled.

Flour hands well and punch dough down a second time. Cover as before and let rise a third time.

Flour hands well and pull off a handful of dough. Shape into a Peltz by pushing both thumbs through center of dough to form an irregular doughnut shape, then tuck one side of the Peltz up through the hole in the dough from the bottom while pushing the opposite side down through the hole from the top. The Peltz should now resemble a twisted, irregular-shaped doughnut. Keep hands well-floured. Place formed Peltz on well-floured surface until ready to fry. (Usually, some family members form the Peltz, while another fries them and still another dusts them with sugar after frying)

In a deep pan, put enough oil or Crisco so that Peltz float during the frying rather then resting on the bottom of the pan. Heat oil to 375.

Fry Peltz, a few at a time, to a very dark brown. Let temperature of oil come back up before adding more Peltz. Make sure the oil stays deep enough so they float and don't rest on the bottom of the pan. Sometimes the raisins escape in large amounts while frying, other years not so much, have not figured out this phenomenon yet!

When done, remove from oil, drain and roll in granulated sugar to coat generously. Cool and store loosely covered. Peltz may be frozen plain and sugared after reheating.

The are excellent served while still warm with cold milk or apple cider. Just a couple seconds (no more) in the micro makes them taste almost just fried.

Makes about 2 1/2 -3 dozen Peltz