President Day Cookie Returns

Happy President's Day!!

Humm...I don't think most think of calling it Happy but are rejoicing in a day off or the sales that ensue with the President's Day week day sales.  The Sutton family on the other hand eats cookies!!

I mentioned in my last post that I feature once a year President trivia and the featured President's Favorite Cookie post taken from the cookbook, Presidential Cookies by Bev Young.  In my last post, I digressed from cookies and food talk to some possibly unknown trivia about President Calvin Coolidge being the second runner up for owning  the most pets while in the White House.  So, who is #1?  President Theodore Roosevelt!

• Admiral Dewey, Bishop Doane, Dr. Johnson, Father O'Grady, Fighting Bob Evans - guinea pigs
• Algonquin – Pony
• Baron Spreckle – Hen
• Bill - lizard
• Blackjack – Manchester Terrier
• Eli Yale – Blue macaw
• Emily Spinach – Garter snake
• Fedelity – Pony
• Gem and Susan – Dogs
• Jack^[11] and Peter – Terriers
• Jonathan Edwards - small bear
• Jonathan – Piebald rat
• Josiah – Badger
• Manchu – Pekingese
• Maude – Pig
• Peter - Rabbit
• Pete – Bull Terrier
• Rollo – Saint Bernard
• Skip – Rat Terrier (mongrel)
• Sailor Boy – Chesapeake Bay Retriever
• Tom Quartz and Slippers – Cats
• (Unknown) - Hyena; barn owl; one-legged rooster

^{Info from :}  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_pets

President Theodore Roosevelt stepped the pet thing up a little from reading this info out of Presidential Cookies Cookbook: "When one of the children, Archie, took to bed sick, the other children smuggled Algonquin into the White House elevator and then up to Archie's room to cheer him up."

As I said in my last blog, I am going crazy with our few pets.  I don't think there will ever come a day that I would let a pony trot through my home much less all the other animals, though small, that the Roosevelt family let roam the White House premises.

If you ever have time, reading is a quite colorful biography of an amazing man, Theodore Roosevelt, who fought huge odds to go from sickly and frail to a robust man.  He was a vivacious reader and loved learning.  If your kids are thinking education is for sissies, you should share with them about Theodore Roosevelt's view of education.

So get to the point...what is the Theodore Roosevelt's favorite cookie?

Sagamore Hill Sand Tarts
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar (I used raw sugar)
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
4 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
2 tsp vanilla
sugar & cinnamon for topping

Step One:
Cream butter till smooth and add sugar till fluffy.  With your Bosch Universal Mixer, this is done in seconds!!  Add the eggs one at a time & vanilla.  Add flour. Mix well.

Step Two:
Roll dough 1/8" thick and cut into 2-2 1/2" thick.  Brush with a white egg wash to help the cinnamon/sugar mixture stick to the cookie.  Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Note from Paula: Since I made these near Valentine's Day, I used my heart cookie cutter for my shape.  I also made most of them with sugar dyed red.  I did make some with the cinnamon for you to see what they would look like on in the form that Theodore Roosevelt's family would have eaten them.

I think what was unique about these cookies is that there is no leavening ingredients other than eggs.  Most cookies will call for baking soda or baking powder or cream of tartar!  These Sagamore Hill Sand Tart cookies have none!  Believe it or not, they actually tastes good.  One of my kids told that with enough butter and sugar, anything will taste good!  Humm??  Sweet tooth in our family, I think so.