One for You, One for Me

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 theyre 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...


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