Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Graham Crackers and Cocoa to Drink....


When my children were smaller, one of their favorite poems was "Animal Crackers and Cocoa to Drink".  Every once in a while, on a blustery day, I would give the children their own box of animal crackers, stir up a pot of cocoa and we would play games in front of the wood cookstove.  There could be nothing cozier than a cup of cocoa and a crunchy, sweet cracker to warm your soul on a late fall afternoon!

Today, I was out of animal crackers (we don't buy them very often) but the cookstove was singing it's siren song and the children and I couldn't resist a game of Yatzee while sipping on cocoa.  Being out of animal crackers, I decided to substitute homemade Honey Graham Crackers.  They take only minutes to put together and are worth every minute.  These crackers can be slightly soft (like a cookie) or crispier (like a cracker), depending on how long you bake them.  They are perfect if you don't have much in the pantry because they only require basic pantry staples - other than the butter, which can be easily substituted with shortening.  These graham crackers are full of flavor and good-for-you ingredients.  I highly suggest baking a batch today!


Honey Graham Crackers
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C dark brown sugar (packed) can use light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C butter, chilled (or shortening)
1/4 C honey
1/4 C water
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.  Cut in butter (or shortening) with a pastry cutter (or you can use a food processor for this part) until the mixture resembles a course meal.  Add the honey, water and vanilla.  Stir until blended.  Stir with your hands until the mixture becomes a softened, cohesive dough.

Putting the dough on a lightly floured surface, roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters (or cut like crackers).  I used a fork to prick each cracker, although this step is not required. 

Place on cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes.

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I gave a couple of these crackers to our mail lady (fresh from the oven) and she said she had just seen a recipe for graham crackers but thought "who on earth would make their own graham crackers!".  So, I guess now she knows!

And for all you romantics out there, our favorite "Animal Crackers"...

 
Animal Crackers
Christopher Morley
 
Animal crackers and cocoa to drink,
That is the finest of suppers I think;
When I'm grown up and can have what I please
I think I shall always insist upon these.
What do you choose when you're offered a treat?
When mother says, "What would you like best to eat?"
Is it waffles and syrup, or cinnamon toast?
It's cocoa and animals that I love the most!
 
The kitchen's the coziest place that I know;
The kettle is singing, the stove is aglow,
And there in the twilight, how jolly to see
The cocoa and animals waiting for me.
 
Daddy and Mother dine later in state,
With Mary to cook for them, Susan to wait;
But they don't have nearly as much fun as I
Who eat in the kitchen with Nurse standing by;
And Daddy once said, he would like to be me
Having cocoa and animals once more for tea.
 
Graham Crackers go with tea as well as cocoa!
 


7 comments:

  1. Enola, I'm just thinking how lucky your children are to have these memories. Charming.

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  2. Oh my, Oh my! Does this ever sound so COZY! After a long day's hard work and relaxing in front of the fire and munching with family!

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  3. I --->love<--- that cup with the beautiful lady on the horse! It must be a valueable antique. Thank you for showing it! Oh-I'm going to try those graham crackers! -Stealth Spaniel

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  4. Enola - Savor these times with your children. We used to love those times when they were younger. We are two days away from Daughter #2's (the last of three kids still living at home) wedding. While De and I are looking forward to more time with each other, we are going to sorely miss the season in our lives where hot cocoa, cookies, and games with the children occupied our winter evenings.

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  5. This post inspired me to purchase your cook book this morning. I was waiting for you to sell it off of the blog so that I could get an autographed copy but that must not have worked out for you. I appreciated the post about reality blogging. It seems like I can never get the whole house clean at one time, there are always so many things to get done, today it is canning apple pie filling and stacking fire wood, the dusting and windows will have to wait for another day.

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  6. What a wonderful post! When we were on our first steps of our homeschooling journey, this poem was one of the first ones my son read. It has a lot of special memories attached to it, mostly because it helped me to relax and enjoy my son being at home with me.
    And I agree with another poster, the cup and saucer are beautiful!
    sidetracksusie

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  7. Do you mind if I ask where you found a cookie cutter to cut that hexagon shape? They look wonderful!!!

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