Day 5: Pressed Honey Cookies

Everyone sing along...."On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....Pressed Hon-ey Cookies." This is a very simple and the only thing that I had a little problem with was the ceramic press. I was excited to use the press since I bought it in 1994 (it had the date on the back) and I had never used it. Alright, alright - I know that I should probably go through my baking utensils more often, but tell me you don't have things in your cabinets that you have never used. That's what I thought. Dough made, ceramic press oiled and floured - ready for use. Make dough balls and flatten into the press. You have to really press to get the design to impress on the dough. Oh and - you need to flour your palm liberally or the dough will lift when trying to press more than once and you will have a two-headed sheep or pigs like I did (I used a farm press with a pig, sheep, calf and a goose). I re-rolled the dough on two-headed animals so if wouldn't look like I was trying to create Dr. Frankenstein cookies. However, on a side note, when I was in grade school we took a field trip up to the K-State campus and I did see a taxidermy two-headed calf and a two headed snake....not sure that they still have it anymore.

I think if I try to make pressed cookies again, I would like to find some of the antique cookies presses that I have seen as most of them appear to have rounded lips versus squares edges that mine has. I think that would make it little easier to get the raw cookie out of the press and onto the cookie sheet. Another side note - I watched a TV program on the origins of gingerbread and in Elizabethan times, master bakers would press the cookies/bars after they were baked, but still warm. Thinking that is even easier......I may have to try that technique.

Easy recipe, tastes great, but as glamorous as five golden rings (if you sing the song correctly). Unless I dust them with edible gold dust next time....hhhmmmm....now that's a thought.