Tag: baking

Bonbon Cookies

Bonbon Cookies

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book (1963)

About the Recipe

It’s kind of a hectic time of year in our house, which means that I’m stressed. And when I’m stressed, I bake. I was looking for something that really felt like a treat, and anything called a Bonbon was sure to fit the bill!

While I absolutely love this cookbook, again the recipe is written fairly simply. I’ll offer a few tips for cookie making success on this one:

  • Start by creaming your butter, then adding the sugar gradually. Add the vanilla after the sugar is fully incorporated.
  • The dough was super easy to scoop and mold. I put 3 chocolate chips in each cookie. Next time, I’ll probably use baker’s chocolate or a chocolate bar to have it melt for a bit more of a gooey middle.
  • For the icing – you’ll want a flood consistency. To get there, use the recipe below and then add 1 or 2 drops of cream at a time until you get to the right texture. When you stir it, it should settle into a smooth consistency again, but not be runny. If it’s runny, you’ve gone too far.
  • Once you have the right icing consistency, hold the cookie from the bottom and dip the top straight down, then lift it straight up. Let it drip off a little bit (give it a little shake if you’d like) and then flip it right side up. If you’re using a topping over the icing, dip the wet icing right into the topping, and again flip it right side up.

This was exactly what I was looking for in a cookie treat, and they turned out so freaking pretty! I added just a little bit of blue to the icing, which looked especially nice under the silver and gold sprinkles. All in all, these were a total success and got a big thumbs up from the husband, Maxx, and my coworkers. They’re definitely going into rotation the next time someone asks me to bring dessert to the party.

About the book

The Betty Crocker Cooky Book is one of those essential cookbook collector books. It’s got a cookie recipe for every occasion and the kind of mid-century graphics that make you want to get in the kitchen and try another recipe. If you find it, grab it! You won’t be sorry.

About the plate

I don’t usually go into plates that aren’t glassware, but this one deserves a mention. The plate belonged to my husband’s Grandma Anna. They have some beautiful gold leafing on them, and serve as the perfect snack plate. We’re so happy to have them to use.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 T vanilla
Food coloring, if desired
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 t salt
Fillings: candied or maraschino cherries, nuts, or chocolate pieces
Toppings: chopped nuts, coconut, colored sugar

Bonbon Icing:
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 T cream
1 t vanilla
Red, green, or yellow food coloring, if desired

Directions:

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and food coloring. Measure flour by dipping method (see notes below) or by sifting. Blend flour and salt in thoroughly by hand. If dough is dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons cream. 

Heat oven to 350*F. For each cooky, wrap 1 level teaspoonful dough around a filling suggested above. Bake 1′ apart on ungreased baking sheet 12-15 minutes, or until set but not brown. Cool; dip tops of cookies in icing. Decorate each cooky with one of the toppings suggested above. Makes 20-25 cookies.

Bonbon Icing:

Mix sugar, cream, vanilla, and food coloring (if desired). If icing is too thick, mix additional cream by the drop full in the icing until flood consistency is reached.

Notes:

How to Measure Flour by Dipping:

  1. Dip graduated measuring cups into flour sack or canister
  2. Level off with spatula or straight-edged knife. Do not tap or pack more flour into cup before leveling off.
  3. Pour flour into mixing bowl with other ingredients. Or stir flour and other dry ingredients together.
Dating Up Chocolate Brownies

Dating Up Chocolate Brownies

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Aunt Cora’s Book of Unusual Cakes, Cookies and Pies (1961)

About the Recipe

It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States! This week, to help celebrate, my son brought home a card. His teacher asked him what his favorite thing to do with Mommy was… and he said “make cookies.” There was no way I was going to let Mother’s Day go by this year without indulging in his favorite thing to do with me!

These are super chewy, yummy brownies. Folks in the know always say that dates are the secret to really rich, delicious brownies, but I’d never had the chance to try until now. I used a food processor to grind my dates up, and Maxx lent a hand chopping the pecans.

The recipe could survive without the nuts, though they give a really nice break to the otherwise gooey texture. The recipe calls for 15 minutes in 8″ x 8″ pans. I did the whole batch for 25 minutes in my 9″ x 13″ without any problems. We also used cocoa over chocolate squares. Quick reminder that each square was 1 oz. of chocolate when this recipe was written (they tend to be 0.5 oz. today).

About the book

Advertising cookbooks are my favorite. I love the little details put into each one that show off the product and all the ways that maybe you just didn’t think about using it! This one is for sugar, and I love the call out for the extra bit of powdered sugar on top of the brownies. It’s a very sweet little pamphlet and I’m looking forward to joining the (fictional) Aunt Cora for some cooking again.

Celebrating with my Sous Chef

I try not to make these blog posts too long, but I can’t resist a special section for this one:

Chopping the pecans all by himself!
Licking the beater is the best part
Mmm! Delicious!! (Yes, that’s my husband in the back)

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dates, finely chopped
2/3 cup sifted flour
1/4 t salt
Powdered sugar

Directions:

If chocolate is used, melt over hot water and cream with shortening. If cocoa is used, it should be mixed and sifted with the flour and salt.

Cream shortening until soft; gradually add granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, pecans and dates. Work in flour and salt.

Spread in 2 buttered 8″x 8″ square layer cake pans. Bake at 375*F for 15 minutes.

Cut in squares before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or spread with a thin white frosting or Chocolate Butter Frosting.

Vodka Punch

Vodka Punch

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A Recipe from Big League Cookbook (1970)

About the Recipe

The Super Bowl just happened here in the States. As is popular, my best friend hosted a Super Bowl party with some friends, and I helped prepare some yummy additions to the meal. To start – this delightful vodka punch!

We decided early on to make this a virgin punch, and to let everyone add their own alcohol. Honestly, it was delightful as a punch on its own. It stood on good feet without ice, though chilled this would make an excellent addition to a picnic or barbecue. The kids (aged 2-16) enjoyed it as well, and most folks enjoyed seconds and thirds. It was the perfect, bright and light addition to an otherwise heavy feast. 10/10 will make again.

And just in case it’s hard to read, here’s the note from Mrs. Dick Cecil (Atlanta Braves-Chiefs Vice President) – This is a punch which really tastes good and has been a great help on many occasions. We entertained four Latin American peace officers one time who didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak Spanish. After they arrived, and I learned of the dilemma, I quickly went to the kitchen and added another bottle of vodka and we had a great time — ending the evening doing the Mexican Hat Dance!

About the book

I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to break out this cookbook. It’s basically a community cookbook, but that community is the 1970 Atlanta Braves and Chiefs (a short-lived soccer team). The Braves team includes a number of famous players and Hall-of-Famers, including Hank Aaron and Hoyt Wilhelm. The history contained in this book is enough to make any sports fan excited (including my husband, who was also super excited to find this one). With that, I’ll leave you with some photos of the book itself. This post is 1 of 2 from this book and the Super Bowl. Find more photos and the other recipe here: Buttermilk Pound Cake (To be updated soon…)

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

3 quarts unsweetened pineapple juice
8 lemons juiced
8 oranges juiced
3 limes juiced
4 quarts ginger ale
One-two quarts vodka

Directions:

Mix together, and enjoy!

Royal Coconut Cookies

Royal Coconut Cookies

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A Recipe from Quaker Surprise Recipes (195?)

About the Recipe

My family and I were invited to join a close friend / auntie for dinner tonight, and I was asked to bring dessert. I wanted to grab a recipe that was fairly simple so that my 2-year-old son, Maxx could help. These sweet, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookies were exactly the right choice!

The recipe is written very simply, so I’ll offer a few reminders:

  • The year is now 2024, and stand mixers exist. Please feel free to use one. I forgot at first, and was wondering why I was having some difficulty getting everything to come together. An electric beater will also work, or you can go old school and pull out a hand beater!
  • There’s a ton of sweetness already in this recipe. Unsweetened coconut flakes will do just fine if you can find them.
  • I used vanilla extract, which worked well, but I think this recipe would really come to life with the almond extract.

All in all, this was the perfect recipe to make with Maxx. And he was so excited to try them with his friend Weatherby!

About the book

This little booklet is so stinkin’ cute! It comes from the Mary Alden Test Kitchen in partnership with Quaker Oats/Mother’s Oats (according to this article, acquired in 1911). Dating the book was challenging, but I’m guessing mid/late 1950’s. That seems to be the height of Mary Alden’s other cookbooks. Instant oats are also nowhere to be found in this booklet, and they were introduced in 1961. Any other marketing/brand name collaboration would have highlighted that kind of new product innovation. Anyway – enough of the history! Enjoy the book!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted enriched flour
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening, soft
1 egg
1/2 t almond or vanilla extract
1 cup Quick Quaker or Mother’s Oats, uncooked
1 cup coconut

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt into bowl. Add sugars, butter, egg and flavoring. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

2. Fold in rolled oats and coconut.

3. Shape dough into small balls; place on greased baking sheet.

4. Bake in a moderate oven (350*F) 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies

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A Recipe from The Christmas Cookie Book (1949)

About the Recipe

For this year’s Christmas gathering, I was craving a special treat to work on with my son and one of my favorite chosen niblings. With fingers crossed, I pulled out this recipe, made a few small tweaks (a little less molasses makes for a crunchier, sturdier cookie wall), and worked with my family to start architecting a design.

I have to say, these cookies were absolutely superb. They held up to decorating, and with a 2-year-old and a 5.5-year-old going to town, hyped up on sugar, that’s no small feat. They had a nice crunch, but didn’t break teeth. They have just a hint of sweet, and plenty of spice coming up behind. All in all – an absolutely perfect, Christmas-y cookie.

For those who also would like to build, I used Alton Brown’s Royal Icing recipe, which not only worked splendidly, but lasted for a few days stored in an airtight container.

About the book

The Christmas Cookie book was a gift from a dear friend of mine. Back when I was first starting my collection, she knew that my house was a hub for Christmas, and that I was very into these old cookbooks. I had absolutely no idea there were quite so many varieties of Christmas cookies, and I think I’ll work on trying a new one from this book each year, especially if they’re as successful as this ginger cookie recipe was.

One thing to note here – it’s very common for books of this time period to have kind of half recipes. You’ll notice in the recipe below, that this book has a delightful variation on that – it gives you not quite enough information in some places, and way too much in others. I absolutely love it.

In addition to the heaps of lovely, over/underwritten recipes, there’s a wonderful collection of little illustrations throughout the book:

Building the Houses

I try not to make these blog posts too long, but I can’t resist a special section for this one:

Maxx and Auntie Gwendolyn work on decorating together
Maxx thinks about adding a little bit more…
The finished product. Not bad for 2 years old!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

5/8 cup molasses
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup thick sour cream
2 T finely chopped orange peel
2 t cinnamon
1 t each cloves, all-spice, ginger
4 egg yolks
2 t baking soda
6 cups flour (about)

Directions:

Heat molasses and sugar until dissolved. Add butter and allow to cool before adding cream, chopped orange peel and seasonings. Add one yolk at a time alternately with the flour sifted with soda. Cut out in Christmas tree, stocking or bell shapes. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with colored sugar. Or cut out in Santa Claus shapes to be frosted after baking. Bake in a moderate oven (350*) for about 15 minutes. This cookie has a wonderful flavor, but has a bad habit of rising, then falling, in the oven, and so ends up with a wrinkled surface. It therefore looks much better when decorated.

Goody Gumdrops

Goody Gumdrops

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A Recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Christmas Cook Book (1958)

About the Recipe

This is the type of recipe on first glance that creates that kind of gut reaction that says, this was definitely a mid-century recipe, and maybe it needs to stay in the mid-century and not make its way to our modern palates. Super sticky, sugary gumdrops – in a cookie? Really? The result is absolutely delicious.

These come out like fancy oatmeal cookies, with a little bit of snap and crunch, but actually not too much sweetness. They’re just sweet enough that they feel like a treat, but not so sweet that it cracks tastebuds.

A few quick tips to ensure that yours come out great:

  • These cookies spread! I made them a bit too large (only got just over 2 dozen out of them using a Tablespoon measure), and a bunch of them ran into each other.
  • Use a teaspoon to eye the amount of dough. As is usual for these older recipes, our eyes are used to bigger serving sizes and you won’t get the full 4 dozen if you make them too large.
  • I creamed the shortening and added the sugar slowly, and then beat until fluffy. Then I added the egg, water, and vanilla.

About the book

I got this book in a stack of Good Housekeeping booklets all published around the same time. I’ve been meaning to page through and make something out of it for a very long time, but there have always been other books that won the day. All in all, this is such a delightful example of mid-century artistry. The illustrations tell the story of a family Christmas, complete with snow and mistletoe. Worth the grab if you see it floating around somewhere.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 T water
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
3/4 cup gumdrops, cut into small pieces
About 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut (optional)

Directions:

Start heating the oven to 350*F. Sift together, into a bowl, flour, baking powder, soda, salt. Add shortening, sugars, egg, water, vanilla; beat until smooth. Fold in rolled oats and gumdrop pieces.

Shape mixture into walnut-size balls; if desired, roll in coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 min.

Lemon Squares

Lemon Squares

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A Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book (1963)

About the Recipe

I’ve been on a baking kick lately and I was looking for something new, but maybe outside of the normal flavors of the season. There is a point where there is too much ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and it’s possible I’ve hit my limit a little early this year. So when I went looking for a dessert, I wanted something that would lift up an otherwise heavy meal. Clearly lemon squares are the answer.

Sometimes lemon squares or lemon bars can be complicated. These are some of the easiest and most effective and delicious that I’ve made. The bottom is buttery and crumbly and just melts in your mouth. The whole thing took about an hour from start to finish and makes 16 squares. It was perfect for a quick and yummy dessert to make on the fly.

This recipe is a little on the sparse side. Betty seems to bank on the baker knowing certain technical skills and best practices when it comes to cookies and bars. I’ll offer a few tips to make this recipe really a success:

  • Use refrigerator cold butter to cut into your flour and confectioner’s sugar. Cut it into smaller pieces, and then toss it in. It makes it much easier to blend.
  • I used a pastry blender to get the base mix down to a sand-like texture. It would be just as easy to pop it all into a food processor and pulse until you get the same texture. This helps to create that buttery, crumbly base that no one can resist.
  • My husband loves a lemony lemon bar, so I added a little bit more juice than recommended. Next time, I’ll also add some fresh zest or dried lemon peel to really make it zing.
  • Wait until it cools to cut it! If you don’t you risk the top kind of coming apart on you. I also recommend keeping a wipe nearby to clean your knife as you cut, just to make it a little bit more neat.
  • The recipe doesn’t call for the confectioner’s sugar on top, but who doesn’t love a little dusting on the top of a lemon bar?

About the book

The Betty Crocker Cooky Book is a staple of any mid-century cookbook collection. It seemed like everyone had a copy… except for me. But lo and behold, my favorite Antiques Barn in New Paltz, NY came through again! I found it hiding on a cart, just waiting for me to grab it up.

It’s worth the reminder here that Betty Crocker was not a real person, but a very complex (and effective) marketing scheme. I love the detail that they give to her character in these books. Worth a read to really get yourself in the mood for some vintage baking:

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 T lemon juice

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*F. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Blend flour, butter, and confectioners’ sugar thoroughly. Press evenly in square pan, 8x8x2″. Bake 20 min.

Beat rest of ingredients together. Pour over crust and bake 20 to 25 minutes more. Do not overbake! (The filling puffs during baking but flattens when cooled.)