Time to Plan the Holiday Sweets.

It is December 1^st as I am writing this and, being the ultimate holiday month, time to plan out what sweets to make for sharing.  Correct, for sharing.  Each year I endeavor to make enough treats to give out to those who have provided services throughout the year.  There are also the folks that Roy and I have friendly relationships with, and want to show our appreciation for having them in our lives. 

So, I will be giving you recipes for two treats that may, or may not, make the giving list this year.  All depends on my mood; the effort is always worth it though.

“Shoo, fly, don't bother me,

Shoo, fly, don't bother me,

Shoo, fly, don't bother me,

For I belong to somebody.”

This song has two origin stories, first sung by Civil War soldiers during the 1860s; secondly in 1898 by soldiers during the Spanish American War.  Both related to the swarm of flies and mosquitoes during the hot, humid summer months.  The two versions, which happened to include the “N” word, were eventually tamed down throughout the 1900s and became, oh you guessed it, a nursery rhyme.

In Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, there is a pie that would put anyone in a diabetic coma; that pie is called "Shoo Fly".  The name originates from the bakers having to "shoo" flies away from the pie, since the little buggers were very attracted to the molasses and sugar that are the two main ingredients.  "Shoo Fly" is a dense, sticky pie; extremely sweet and definitely an acquired taste.  It is best served warm with a scoop of ice cream, usually vanilla, on the side; strangely enough, the ice cream mellows out the pie's sweetness.  I did make this for a holiday party once, and it was said to be similar to pecan pie, but without the pecans, and much gooier and sweeter.

 

Shoo Fly Pie

Ingredients:

Filling

1 and ½ cups molasses

1 and ½ cups warm water

1and ½ tsp. baking soda

Topping

4 cups flour, sifted

2 cups sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup butter, melted

2 (9 inch) deep dish pie crusts

Preparation:

On low heat, in a deep saucepan, cook together the molasses and water for 10 minutes; do not let the liquid boil.

While liquid is warming, preheat oven to 375F; cover center rack with aluminum foil in case of dripping (and it usually does). In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and melted butter to form loose crumbs.

Add the baking soda to the liquid mixture; it will become frothy; stir well to dissolve all the baking soda. Divide the liquid between the 2 pie crusts; divide the topping between the two, slightly pressing some of the crumbs into the liquid. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350F and finish cooking pies for 35 minutes; let pies cool slightly before serving.

Serving suggestion: while still warm, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Makes 8 servings.

While we did have a bit of snow for the Thanksgiving holiday, snow for the December holidays is purely magical. Anyone who lives in an area that has snowfall has, at one time or another, did the classic stick out the tongue and try to catch snowflakes on it. Come on now, you know you have, especially when you were a child, and I bet you still try it out as an adult. What about making a snowball and putting it in the freezer? Then when summertime came, you looked for it planning to surprise someone when they get hit with it?

When it comes to "eating" snow, the first thing you might think about is the snow cone; shaved or pulverized ice with flavoring poured over it and served in a paper cone. There is a particular type of "cookie" though that you can place in your mouth and let it melt into sugary goodness; or you can mash it up to use as a topping and it will resemble snow. That cookie is called a meringue; made mostly from egg whites and sugar, then baked in the oven at a very low temperature before letting it finish off as the oven cools. Meringue cookies can be made in a vast variety of color and flavor combinations; eaten as is, used as a garnish, even tweaked into a cake called a "Pavlova" which is then topped with whipped cream and fresh berries.

If you are worried about the amount of sugar needed to make meringue cookies, do not fret! The Splenda brand of sugar substitute and the natural herb Stevia can be used instead; while one cup of Splenda equals one cup of sugar, only one teaspoon of Stevia equals one cup of sugar. You will also have to use a higher temperature for the baking part of the recipe; basically, it is 225F for sugar, 300F for Splenda and 350F for Stevia.

 

Meringue Cookies

This is going to be a basic recipe for vanilla meringues; you can make different flavored meringues by substituting other flavored extracts for the vanilla. If you want chocolate meringues, add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder; also add one cup of mini chocolate chips for a double chocolate experience.   To make colored meringues, use drops of food coloring; for example, a few drops of red for pink meringues, but add strawberry extract for that extra flavor boost.   When adding items such as mini chips or shredded coconut, gently fold into the stiffened egg whites so as to not “break” them.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 225°F.

Beat egg whites in large, clean, metal bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high; add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.

Drop by rounded teaspoons about 1-inch apart onto two large baking sheets sprayed with nonstick baking spray; or use a piping bag with decorative tip to form cookies as they are piped onto the baking sheets.

Bake both sheets of meringues for 45 minutes; turn oven off. Leave meringues in the oven for one hour, or until completely cooled. Amount will depend on size of meringues being made; typically, 6 dozen if dropping by teaspoon full.

There you have it, two recipes for holiday sweets, that you may not have heard of, or even tried to make yourself.  Now you have no excuses.

Mary Cokenour

Nursery Rhyme Recipes - Shortenin' Bread and Pease Porridge.

"Put on the skillet, put on the lid

Mama's gonna make a little short'nin' bread

That ain't all s Mama's gonna do

She's gonna make a little coffee, too

Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin',

Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread

Mama's little baby loves short'nin', short'nin'

Her little baby loves short'nin' bread"

James Whitcomb Riley wrote a poem, published in 1900, based upon a song that had been sung by plantation slaves.  Rewritten in 1915, it became a folk song which relayed the hardships of being a plantation slave, and, not just adults, but small children starved to death while asleep in bed.  The song became popularized in 1948 with its release on the album, The Greatest Guest, by the Andrew Sisters.

For those of you whose eyes just popped at the mention of the Andrew Sisters, Maxene, Patty and Laverne were a spectacular trio during the 1930s, 40s and 50s.  They appeared in several movies, including “Buck Privates” and “Hold That Ghost” with Abbott and Costello, and “Road to Rio” with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.  Their most popular song is “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, (1941), and brought back into the limelight by Bette Midler.

By the time the Andrew Sisters sang “Shortenin’ Bread”, the detrimental meanings, behind the song were lost, and it was often looked at as a simple "nursery rhyme" mothers sang to their children.

A recipe I found, for Shortenin’ Bread, reads as follows: Cream together one stick of oleo margarine with a quarter-cup of light brown sugar, then mix in 1¼ cups of flour. Roll the resulting crumbly dough out on a floured board until it’s about a half-inch thick, then use a fruit jar or jelly glass to cut it out into rounds.  Put the rounds in a greased and floured shallow pan, bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes

This recipe sounded so familiar and then I had a “Duh!” moment.  This is when it can be referred back to the San Juan Record article of December 31, 2021, and recipe from The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook for Scottish Shortbread.  Only three ingredients, but confectioners' sugar is used while shortenin' bread uses light brown sugar; measurements are the same for both recipes.  While slaves used lard, margarine is the next best substitute for butter.  Many plantations also harvested sugar cane, and workers were given rations of sugar or molasses.

So, it did make me wonder how a recipe of the 1800s was so similar between Mormon pioneers, and plantation slaves.  Coincidence, I do not believe in those; so, a bit of digging into history was called for. 

Wikipedia article, Mormonism and Slavery, Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were, initially, proslavery.  Smith began to change his views on this issue, and by 1844, his campaign, for President of the United States, ran on an anti-slavery platform. However, this was also the year that he was murdered in Illinois.  Brigham Young led the followers to Utah, and helped to make Utah a "slave state".  One of his teachings was, "inasmuch as we believe in the ordinances of God, in the Priesthood and order and decrees of God, we must believe in slavery".  This quote is taken from, The Teachings of President Brigham Young: Vol. 3 1852–1854, Fred C. Collier, Colliers Publishing Company.

Slaves worked the kitchens of their masters, and used the recipes they were taught by them.  Taking the same recipes and adapting them to provisions available to the slaves was simple enough.  They made do with what they had, or could get their hands on without getting caught.

I baked up a batch, following the recipe I found. While they were good, they were not as sweet as the Scottish type.  The texture was firmer and not as melt-in-the-mouth, so butter does make it better.  Using a ¼ measuring cup as the mold, I was able to create 10 cookies, as that is truly what they are…cookies.  A little hint, a smear of lemon curd, or prickly pear jelly, does a cookie good.

 

Flour Added

Cream Margarine and Brown Sugar

Roll Out Dough

Cut Out Circles of Dough

Before Baking

Let Cool Completely

Next nursery rhyme is Peas Porridge, later reworded as Pease Porridge.  This is going back later in time, around the Medieval Era, but the song relates to the same theme: starvation.

In those olden days, cooking was done with a big kettle that always hung over a fire. Every day the fire was lit, and ingredients added, such as beans, grains, vegetables, and sometimes meat, if lucky.  This stew was for dinner, leftovers stayed in the pot, got cold overnight, and the whole process started over the next day. Nothing was thrown away, only added to.  Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while, hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

Cooking over an open fire, fueled by wood, coal or peat could be compared to modern cooking via crock pot.  Slow, over low heat, and taking many hours to complete.  This became the typical cooking method for those labeled as peasants; eking out a living in agriculture and/or animal husbandry.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, in the 16th century, this stew was called "pottage", and it was not until the 17th century that the word "porridge" was created.  In 1760 the song was published as a nursery rhyme with creator's name unknown.  "Peas" was changed to "Pease" which is a generalized term for oatmeal, since this was the main ingredient for porridge or pudding.   However, in the United Kingdom, pease pudding, also known as pease porridge, is a savory pudding dish made of boiled legumes, typically split yellow peas, with water, salt and spices, and often cooked with bacon or a ham joint.

I was able to find a recipe for Pease Porridge on the food blog, The Spruce Eats, which does not include bacon or ham, but no one will complain if you add either in.  It is rather long in preparation, but you can find the recipe here:  https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-pease-pudding-recipe-435628

There you have it, two nursery rhymes, sung even in this day and age, and both referring to starvation.  Like Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a bit of darkness can be hidden within a tale meant for children.

Mary Cokenour

The Mystery of Joseph Smith and the Washboard Cookie.

Besides using actual cookbooks, there are often times I research recipes, and their origins, online.  Alright Google, give me some interesting results for, “Utah pioneers and recipes they cooked”.  First item was a blogger who referenced newspaper articles and cookbooks, gave recipes, and stated which Mormon “figure head” the recipe was a favorite of.  One such reference was for “Washboard Cookies”, a favorite of Prophet Joseph Smith, and came from The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook which I have used, and referenced, myself. 

Strange, I thought, but while the love of Johnny cakes was linked to Smith, many of the recipes within mentioned Brigham Young more often.  Now there is no index in this cookbook, so turning the pages slowly, my eyes scanned for the recipe, and the mention of Smith.  Nothing.  Alright, let me ask around, and see if those more educated in the Mormon culture could verify this for me.  Hit a roadblock there.  Then I thought to find the origin of washboard cookies, and see if that could get me a linkup.

Washboard cookies, aka lavadores, are Portuguese cookies which have horizontal lines, made with a fork before baking, and resemble the ridges of a washboard.  The original recipe uses lemon for flavoring, but the origin story is basically nonexistent; seems this cookie just always was.  Rereading the countries represented, by the Mormon emigrants who traveled to Utah, Portugal was not one of those countries.  Could there have been folks of Portuguese descent?  Maybe, but too few to get a mention in the cookbook.

Something else that bothered me about the blogger’s cookie recipe, and reference to Smith.  This was supposedly a recipe used by the 1847 pioneers, and instead of lemons, coconut was the main flavoring ingredient.  In 1869, the Mineral Point Tribune, a Wisconsin newspaper, printed the first ever recipe which used coconut as a main ingredient.  Hawaiians did not begin settling onto USA mainland soil, mainly in California, until the late 1800s, and they brought coconuts with them. 

Third issue I have with the blogger’s article was the timeline of how Joseph Smith could have possibly partaken of the cookies made by Utah pioneers.  He could not!  Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the LDS religion, and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were killed by a mob in Carthage, IL, on June 27, 1844.  They were awaiting trial, in the town jail, but became victims of vigilante justice by those in the anti-Mormon movement.  So, to that blogger, I call, “Shenanigans!” on her article, her made up historical reference, and any reference to the cookie recipe in The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook.

Now I am picturing, editor Bill Boyle, of the San Juan Record, rolling his eyes, as he reads my article, and thinking, “There goes Mary pretending to be Miss Marple; it’s just a cookie recipe for heaven’s sake!”

Have I piqued your curiosity about washboard cookies?  I certainly hope so, as I will be giving you an original recipe.  Since I have mentioned a recipe which uses coconut, I will give you that one too.  The original recipe is from Chef Gorete, born in the Azores, is of Portuguese descent, and, of course, can cook and bake the recipes of her ancestry.

 

 

Portuguese Washboard Cookies (Lavadores)

(https://www.food.com/recipe/portuguese-washboard-cookies-lavadores-537531)

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1⁄2 cups sugar, divided

4 large eggs, room temperature 1

 lemon, rind of, grated

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 dash salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix the butter with 1 cup of the sugar on medium high-speed for 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each, until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon rind.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt to combine. Fold the flour into the butter mixture using a spatula, mixing well. Gently knead the dough in the bowl for about 5 minutes.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Using a small cookie scoop, shape pieces of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place the cookies on a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies gently using the tines of a fork or make the horizontal lines.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a light golden color. I like to rotate the cookie trays from top to bottom, halfway through the cooking process.

Cool on the cookie trays for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.

Now the second recipe which does not appear in the cookbook, as a blogger claims, but I will share it anyway.  Even though the origin of the cookie is Portuguese, over the many, many years of creating them, many variations have developed within the country itself.  So, I would rather give credit, for this recipe, to Portugal, and not a blogger with “imaginary facts”.

 

Washboard Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preparation:

Cream together sugars and shortening and beat in eggs. Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to above mixture. Blend in coconut and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and blend into mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and flatten with fork. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Would Joseph Smith have liked washboard cookies?  It is very unlikely we will ever know.  However, something tells me, if cornmeal had been used, the answer would have been a resounding, “Yes!”.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

Oatmeal Any Time.

Oatmeal has been, well as far as my life time is concerned, been advertised as one of the best foods to have for breakfast.  On its own, oats are low in fat, high in protein and fiber; contain antioxidants that reduce inflammation, and relax arteries which means “heart healthy”. Oats are naturally gluten free, but high in carbohydrates, so folks with blood sugar issues need to watch out for the latter. 

So, I have used the words “oatmeal” and “oats” in the same paragraph, and are they referring to the very same thing?  Sort of.  Typically, when we hear the word “oatmeal”, we picture a steaming bowl of, what was initially called, porridge. This might be eaten as is, or topped with a sweetener such brown sugar, sugar, maple syrup, or even jelly or jam.  Cut up fruits can be added for more flavor, and slightly different texture.  However, oat meal, and oat flour, are processed the same way while meal is coarse in texture, and the flour is a powdered form; both used in cooking and baking recipes.

Historically, China was cultivating oats around 7000 BCE, and its main function was medicinal.  Oats were thought to have the ability to tone, and circulate, “qi” (energy) which calmed spirit, and cleanse blood.  Ancient Chinese texts describe oats as "restorative" to the major organs: lungs, spleen, stomach, heart, large intestine, and kidneys.  Now in ancient Greece and Rome, oats were looked down upon as a weed that stowed away during the transport of wheat and barley.  The oats were grown, but used as cattle feed, since it was “inferior” for human consumption.

It was not, until around 1000 BCE, the Bronze Age, that oats proved to be a reliable crop in cold and wet conditions.  It grew better, than wheat and barley, in Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Poland, and Germany; and the people of these lands needed to feed themselves as well as their cattle.  As tools were being invented, harvesting and processing of grain became easier; so, creating and experimenting with oat flour produced edible breads.

What got me started on this oatmeal journey?  Woke up this morning to a very dark sky and cool breezes coming down from the Abajo mountains, and it smelled of rain. This was the perfect weather for cookie baking as there is nothing like a cool breeze to cool a hot kitchen, and carry the scent of baking cookies throughout the house.  Also, a good time to try out a pioneer recipe for oatmeal bread.

This recipe for oatmeal bread was passed down from Scottish immigrants, and is found in The Pioneer Cookbook, Recipes for Today’s Kitchen by Miriam Barton, page 102. The bread is not as firm as a typical bread, that could be sliced and placed in a toaster; but laid on a baking sheet and toasted in the oven is plausible.  This is a rustic bread with full flavor of the molasses, and sweetness coming from the raisins.  No yeast is involved, so it is a quick and easy recipe to create, and I liked that!  In parenthesis, on the recipe, is what I used to make the bread.

 

Oatmeal Bread

 

Ingredients:

1 and ½ cups of milk (2%)

1 cup rolled oats (old fashioned)

1 cup raisins

1 egg, well beaten (large egg)

¼ cup molasses

2 cups flour (all-purpose)

1 and 1/2Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter, melted (unsalted)

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325F.  Lightly butter (non-stick baking spray) a bread pan (loaf pan).  In a small saucepan, heat the milk, but do not let it boil.  Remove from heat and stir in the oats and raisins.  Cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the egg and molasses.

 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually stir the sifted mixture into the batter.  Stir in the melted butter.

 

Spread the batter into the prepared bread pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

 

Makes one loaf.

 

 

 

 

 

Since I did previously mention cookies, here is a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe of my own creation.  Instead of just raisins though, I add another dried fruit to make it doubly comforting.  

 

Double Fruit Oatmeal Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 large egg

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. each baking powder and soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ cup each of two dried fruits (raisins, golden raisins, dates, cherries), diced

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups Old Fashioned Quaker Oats (or your favorite brand, but do not use instant oats)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Use nonstick baking sheets, or spray with baking spray (contains flour).

In a large bowl, cream together butter, egg and sugars. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture.

Add dried fruits, vanilla and oats; mix thoroughly. Place tablespoons of batter 2-inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes; until cookies are golden brown; remove to wire baking racks to cool.

Makes 3 dozen.

Enjoy your oatmeal any time, it does not just have to be for breakfast.

...and since I had a couple of very ripe bananas, making banana walnut bread was a bonus!

 Mary Cokenour

Circus Parade to Snack On.

 Often times I have asked, “What kinds of foods/recipes/cooking tools/techniques would you like for me to write about?”  The response is usually silence, even the crickets do not make a sound.  So, I have found enjoyment in looking up “food holidays”, basically made-up occasions in which a particular food/recipe is given national recognition.  Let’s see if you can guess, by the song lyrics, what occasion we are celebrating in April.  I made it really easy to guess upon.

“Animal crackers in my soup

Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

Gosh oh gee but I have fun

Swallowing animals one by one”

"Animal Crackers in My Soup" is a song introduced by Shirley Temple in the film “Curly Top” (1935). The lyrics were written by Josephine Drexel Irving Caesar and Ted Koehler; music by Ray Henderson.

Alright now, raise your hand if you have ever gone to a circus, could have been the huge Barnum & Bailey show, or even just a small review?  Vendors would go up and down throughout the bleachers, selling souvenirs, popcorn, cotton candy, and…animal crackers!  The little boxes, resembling circus animal cages with lions, tigers, bears and elephants seen within.  A little string attached to either end, so a small child could carry the box.  Everyone having pleasant memories of this?  I sure am!

 

Nowadays these tasty little treats can be found in any supermarket, by the box or bagful.  However, recipes are available online, and so are the needed cookie cutters ranging in size from tiny to palm size.  Many cutters are very ornate in design, but for authentic looking cookies, keep it simplistic.

The origin of animal crackers is traced back to 19^th century Victorian England.  What we refer to as cookies in America, the English refer to sweet hard biscuits or crackers.  Another example of English-English vs. American-English language differentiations.  Why animal shapes?  This reflects back to the 6^th – 7^th centuries when animals were sacrificed, to the gods, during the autumn, winter and mid-winter celebrations.  As Christianity moved throughout Europe, and the people became more “civilized” during the centuries, the cute little animal biscuits were a treat given to children at Christmas time.

By 1889, P.T. Barnum introduced the crackers to circus audiences, with the cute boxes being developed by 1902.  The four original Barnum's animals, and still in circulation, are the lion, bear, elephant, and tiger.

Whether purchasing at the store, or baking your own, make sure to have your animal crackers ready to eat on April 18, 2023 – National Animal Crackers Day!  To really enjoy the day, why not watch Shirley Temple’s “Curly Top”, and sing along with her too.

 

Homemade Animal Crackers

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (sifted) 

½ tsp. salt

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup powdered sugar (substitute Truvia or Swerve brand if watching sugar content)

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, mix, scraping bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula, until incorporated.

Add half the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add remaining flour and mix until incorporated. Divide the dough in half and form each into a disk, about 1-inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

After one hour, remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 5 - 10 minutes, or until pliable.  At the same time, preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Line counter, or large cutting board, with wax paper; roll one disk of dough out to ¼-inch thick. Cut into animal shapes, place about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with second disk of dough.  The scraps of dough remaining can be gathered up, re-rolled and refrigerated until chilled properly to cut again.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Remove to a cooling rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, or freeze cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

The number of cookies baked up will be dependent on the size of the cookie cutters, and if all the dough is used up.

Before baking these cookies, and to be more decorative, sprinkles or other colorful baking décor can be put onto the cookies.  Yes, a simple glaze can be painted on after the cookies are cooled.

To make chocolate animal crackers, add ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder; or add 3 tsp. of cinnamon for cinnamon flavored ones.  Yes, you can play with your cookies, and eat them too!

Mary Cokenour