Books & Cookies

I mentioned a few posts ago how my family attends Prime Time Family Reading Time at the kids' school. Each week in Prime Time we receive books to take home and read with our family. This session I have been motivated to match the books with a cute cookie that we take as a snack for everyone to enjoy. It's been fun matching the books with recipes! Below are the two most recent books and cookie recipes.
At the beginning of March we had 2 books on rabbits. In one book rabbit stole honey from lion, so I modified a bunny carrot cookie (find the original recipe here) to include honey. It did turn out a little sticky, so if I made it again I might do half honey/half sugar, but the bunny shape is just too cute!

Carrot Honey Bunny Cookies

1 cup honey (sugar may be substituted
1 cup butter softened

1 egg
4 cups flour
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine honey, butter and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add all remaining cookie ingredients. Beat until well mixed.

To shape bunnies, roll dough into 30 (1-inch) balls, 30 (3/4-inch) balls and 60 (1x1/4-inch) logs. For each cookie, place (1-inch) ball onto ungreased cookie sheet; top with(3/4-inch) ball and 2 logs for ears. (Make sure dough pieces are touching so that bunny is formed during baking.) Bake for 14 minutes or until lightly browned around edges.

This past week our books were Jumangi and The Elephant's Child. Since both had elephants in them I made Elephant Ear cookies. Again, I modified the recipe a little and the original is here. 

 

Elephant Ear Cookies

1/4 cup butter
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease cookie sheet. Melt butter and set aside. Stir flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in milk and 3 tablespoons of melted butter until dough forms.

Sprinkle surface with flour. Turn dough onto surface. Knead 10 times. Roll dough with rolling pin or pat with hands into a rectangle 9X5 inches. Brush with remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with mixture of 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll dough up tightly beginning at narrow end. Cut into about 10 equal pieces with sharp knife.

Place cut sides up on cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.

I'll be sure to post next week's creation! But in the meantime, you can check out my Pinterest page for the recipes I'm considering - and the ones I didn't end up using!