You may
have noticed a pattern.
When I go
shopping to buy someone a gift, I often end up with at least one for myself.
This is
especially true in antiques stores. You saw those sweet little swallow molds I
got for aspic? And now these little animal cookie cutters.
They were
just sitting there, looking forlorn and forgotten.
They were
in the "expensive stuff" case, so I just assumed they would be out of
reach.
But I
asked anyway; "How much?"
Three
dollars! One. Two. Three. Dollars!
They were
mine before you could say, "Mid-century modern!"
Animal
Crackers were a big favorite of mine growing up. What kid didn't like the
circus-car box with the carrying ribbon? And sharing them with friends was fun. One for you, one for me.
True, the
crackers from this recipe don't taste like the originals, and maybe they’re better-suited to the adult
palette. The shapes are nothing like them, either. But they taste good, and they
are so darned cute!
What are
some of your childhood favorites?
~David
Homemade
animal crackers
6
tablespoons butter
1/4 cup
sugar
1 egg
1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract
1
teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2
teaspoon baking powder
pinch
ground nutmeg
tiny
pinch salt
1 cup
flour plus 2 tablespoons
Cream the
butter and sugar till just combined. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon
zest; mix well. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Add
the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until ingredients are just
incorporated. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 3/16-inch thickness
and cut into desired shapes. Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and
place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Pre-heat
oven to 350°F.
Remove the sheets form freezer and bake 8-12
minutes, depending on size. The cookies will be a pale gold color. Remove from
oven, let cool a few minutes, then place cookies on racks and let cool
completely.
Makes a lot... I stopped counting after a while...
Labels: animal crackers, homemade animal crackers