Kids can cook along with Pooh

November 22, 2010

Visitors at the New York Public library upon entering Winnie-the-Pooh room are greeted by a life size mural of the bear and his friends sitting down to dinner. Food has always been Pooh's favorite past-time and he will forget all for a pot of honey.

The New York Public library is home to the stuffed Pooh animals owned by the real-life Christopher Robin.

Friendship, simplicity and food have always been centrifugal to A.A. Milne's classic tales. Dutton publishing, in a tribute to this, produced a book by Virginia Ellison in 1969 called 'The Winnie-the-Pooh Cookbook'. Here's a recipe for you to enjoy.

Honey gingerbread cookies

Ingredients:

    1/2 cup sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup butter or margarine, cut into small cubes and brought to room temperature 1/2 cup honey

Method:

  • Into a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
  • Use your fingertips to work the butter into the dry ingredients. When thoroughly worked in, add the honey and stir until blended.
  • Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • When the dough is chilled, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about 1/8-inch thick. The dough also can be placed between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, then rolled.
  • Use 3-inch cookie cutters to cut cookies from the dough, re-rolling the scraps once. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, in batches if necessary. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until just golden at the edges.
  • Let the cookies cool for 1 minute on the pan, then use a spatula to transfer them to a rack to cool.
  • Makes about 30 cookies. Per cookie: 108 calories; 55 calories from fat (51 percent of total calories); 6 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 16 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 117 mg sodium.

Adapted from Virginia Ellison's 'The Winnie-the-Pooh Cookbook'.