As much as a child of 4 can recall, I have vivid memories of my Grandfather Monroe stepping cautiously, painstakingly down the crooked stone steps that led from our driveway to the woodshed door. I would stand at the kitchen window watching, waiting eagerly for his arrival, my taste buds sensing the sweetness of the honey I knew he would bring; the jar held firmly and protectively in his hands as he made his way slowly to the house. Grandpa would set that jar of honey on the kitchen table and make his cautious descent onto a kitchen chair. He would lift me into the nest of his lap and I would sit in the warmth of his arms while my mother cut his hair. He would hold that jar of golden honey in one hand and with the other he would spoon that thick, golden goodness into the tiny cradle of a long handled teaspoon. I would open my mouth like an eager little bird, tilt my head back and let the drizzle of gold trickle onto my tongue and flow in sweet, gentle rivulets down into my belly. Not long after, we lost my Grandfather, but my memories of him are golden.
My mother’s father, Hubert Reginald Monroe, born 28 January 1896, grew into a tall, handsome farmer and with his wife Mildred, raised their family of seven, six girls and one boy; on a farm in northwest CT. Grandpa had an older brother Jim, 15 years his senior, and inseparably, they hunted, trapped, farmed and raised their families in small town New England.
That one boy, my Uncle Bill, has helped me in the writing of this post, with some of the details about the honey bees my grandfather raised. As he, Uncle Bill, said to me on the phone the other evening…” I could go on forever about the bees”. I will be quoting him directly in a few paragraphs to follow.
As scientists and environmentalists study and observe honey bees, they are discovering the honey bees are in danger of decline. In fact if we lose the honey bees, we lose a vital ingredient to our survival as well. Alas, we must strive to save the honey bee…
Not all honey is alike. And in fact, the honey produced does not derive from the type of honey bee , but from the nectar source. The darkness or lightness of honey determines its flavor. The darker the honey, the stronger the flavor. Lighter honey, as I’ve used in the recipe for these cookies, is generally used for baking as it delivers a delicate flavor.
Uncle Bill tells me with clarity and gentle sentiment his recollections… “I began helping my father with the bees at about the age of 10 but Dad had the bees as long as I can remember. Dad had as many as 50 hives at one time. One year, from only 12 hives, we extracted 300 or more pounds of honey. We would tend the bees and hives with a just a smoker and veils. Each year we would extract 60 to 100 pounds from each hive. One year there was over a ton extracted. Another year, due to the perfect May weather, the apple blossoms were prolific and we got 100 pounds of apple blossom honey. Usually tho, the honey was from clover and goldenrod nectar.”
“The bee inspector would come around once or twice a year to inspect the hives. If disease was found, the hives had to be burned. The threat then was foul brood, which if found in the brood chamber caused the young bees to die. The comb had to be removed and a blow torch was used to scorch the inside of the hives.”
Uncle Bill continued saying, ” Dad raised bees until he died. He had the hives out behind the house where he had driven pipes into the ground and on two rows of 2×4’s , 30 inches off the ground, he set the hives. This was to keep the ants out. Dad was in France in WW1 and learned some french, so he used the name La Miel Ferme for the honey he sold.”
Listening to Uncle Bill reminisce about the bees, blessed me with more understanding and a deeper sense of one aspect of life on my Grandparents farm during the 1930’s and 40’s. Selling honey was, I know, just one of the ways my Grandparents provided for their family. I am beyond grateful and abundantly blessed to have not only loving, honey infused memories of my Grandfather, but the appreciation and knowledge provided by my Uncle Bill and his willingness to share his recollections with me. Thank you Uncle Bill.
Honey, Almond Butter, Oatmeal Cookies
(in honor of my Grandfather Monroe)
Ingredient list:
1 cup natural almond butter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted room temperature butter
1/4 cup light honey
2 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure almond extract
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cups quick oats
1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup raisins or dried cherries (optional)
In a mixing bowl on low speed combine butter, almond butter and honey until well blended and creamy. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and add the vanilla and almond extracts and the eggs. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl if necessary. Add the brown sugar and beat until well incorporated. Add the oats and the nuts and mix well. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and add the chocolate chips (and raisins or dried cherries if using). Mix together until blended but do not over mix.
Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, cover and chill for at least a half hour. An hour is best as the dough will be a bit sticky. Once chilled, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a cookie scoop (or an ice cream scoop) form the dough into 2″ balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Put remaining dough back into the refrigerator until ready to bake the next batch.
Place the dough balls evenly apart in 4 rows of 3. Bake in a 350 oven for 14 minutes for a chewy cookie. Bake 16 minutes for a crunchier cookie. I bake in a gas convection oven so you may have to adjust the cooking time if you use electric.
Once baked, remove the cookie sheet from the oven an let the cookies sit for one minute on the sheet before removing them to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before storing. These cookies freeze very well, if any actually make it to your freezer !!! This recipe makes 30 hearty delicious cookies. Enjoy every bite!
Enjoy every delicious bite of these honey infused cookies. They are not too sweet and the delicate honey flavor is just right.
Thank you again to my Uncle Bill for sharing his memories. And thank you to my Grandpa Monroe for the legacy of bee keeping, family love and MANY BLESSINGS.