Royal Coconut Cookies

February 3, 2024 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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

December 30, 2023 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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

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

December 26, 2023 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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

December 17, 2023December 17, 2023 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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.)

Mrs. Cohen’s Kosher for Passover Cookies

April 15, 2022 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from the Koppelman Family archives

About the Recipe

This recipe comes from Mrs. Cohen – not my mother (though she makes them every year), my Aunt Harriet’s mother. See, my mother was a Koppelman who married a Cohen, and Aunt Harriet was a Cohen who married a Koppelman. Every year we would gather at Mr. and Mrs. Cohen’s house (AH’s mom and dad) and sit around a huge table for our Passover Seder. As we cousins grew up, the Cohens were less and less an extended arm of the family, and more another set of grandparents.

Every year, Mrs. Cohen made these cookies.

There’s not a ton to really love about kosher for Passover baking in general, but wow are these cookies delish. They’re kind of like a snickerdoodle crossed with an oatmeal raisin cookie, but with matzah instead of flour and oats. The recipe has been passed from Mrs. Cohen to Mrs. Cohen to Mrs. Rabiner-Cohen (me!) and I can’t wait to pass it down to my son one day.

A few quick notes on changes and adaptations – you can use the dried fruit of your choice in this. I used the Trader Joe’s Berry Blend this time around, and the variety of flavor seems promising. My mom swore by golden raisins. Mrs. Cohen’s original was regular raisins. Any nut is fine in this as well. I prefer walnuts, my mom is more of an almond gal.

Quick tip: Use a metal tablespoon or scoop to shape the cookies. They’re very, very sticky and just get worse and worse if you try to do it with your hands. Chag Sameach!

For more of my family recipes, click here!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups matzah meal
2 cups matzah farfel
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
5 eggs
2 tsp. orange juice

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients. Beat in eggs, oil, and orange juice. Drop by the teaspoon or tablespoon, or roll in hands. Place on very greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350*F for 15-20 min.

Maple Memory Cookies

February 14, 2021 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from 100 Prize Winning Recipes from Pillsbury’s 3rd Grand National (1952)

About the Recipe

These little maple cookies are just the right amount of sweet! They’re fairly easy to make, but be aware that the dough gets a little on the dry side as you’re combining the dry ingredients and maple syrup to the creamed mix. A few extra drops of syrup evened out the texture in the end. The walnut on top is absolutely necessary to create just the right crunch. As a bonus, they plump up a little bit in the oven and the nutty flavor shines through.

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

After so much time away from the Challenge, it was fun to be able to pick it up again with Bake-Off 3 in 1952. I was instantly reminded of why I started baking from these booklets in the first place. The recipes are so delightful, and just simple delicious, from scratch baking. I’m not much of a baking snob, but there’s really a massive difference when the chemistry of scratch ingredients is right. Anyway – as always, the 1950’s Bake Off books are total winners. Grab it if you see it.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 t double-acting baking powder
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t maple flavoring
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
additional walnut halves

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cream shortening, and add gradually the brown sugar. Add the egg and maple flavoring; beat well. Add maple syrup alternately with dry ingredients to creamed mixture, blending well after each addition. Add walnuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets; top each with a walnut half. Bake in moderately hot oven (400*F) 8 to 10 minutes.

Sour Cream Oatmeal Cookies

August 8, 2020 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from 50 Wonderful Ways to use Sour Cream (1955)

About the Recipe

This dairy-centric twist on the classic oatmeal cookie results in cookies with the texture of clouds. These come out light and fluffy on top, with a little bit of crunch from the nuts and the bottoms.

I like whole raisins in my cookies, so I didn’t chop them up. For future batches, I would sub out the nutmeg for something a little bit more interesting – maybe half nutmeg half ginger, or some pie spice. All in all – this recipe is easy cookie perfection just as it is.

For more recipes from my Weekend at Becky’s click here!

About the book

When I asked Becky about this book, she said it had come from her mom, Bonnie. When I asked Bonnie about the book she said “oh you know, you just used to send away for them!” I love that this was an original to our family book that’s now been passed down a few generations, and I can’t wait to use it again.

About the platter

This little dome platter came to Becky from her Dossie & Pop-Pop, and was originally used to hold cheese or other such small appetizers. I have no clue what it’s make is as there are no markings on it. But it was so cute and just the right size for the cookies.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sifted flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2/3 cup quick cooking oatmeal

Directions:

Sift dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and blend. Add vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream. Lastly fold in raisins, nuts, and oatmeal. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cooky sheet and bake in a 425*F oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from cooky sheet and cool on cake racks.

Orange Raisin Drop Cookies

July 26, 2020 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 4 Comments

A Recipe from America’s Bake-Off 100 winning recipes from Bake-Off 28 (1978)

About the Recipe

My entire life my mom has been making cookies out of cake mixes. It feels so commonplace now that there are entire Pinterest and Tumblr boards dedicated to cake mix cookie recipes. In 1978, I bet it was a revelation.

These cookies are light and airy and just the right amount of sweet. They disappeared in lightening speed, and rightfully so. The mandarins add just a hint of orange, so it tastes like a citrus-y oatmeal raisin cookie. A winner!

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

After the Bi-Centennial event, Pillsbury made the decision to move from an annual contest to a bi-annual contest. This is the first year after a two year wait, and feels like the recipes almost got a chance to breathe and grow up a little bit. It’s a strong book and it was hard to pick just one recipe from it for this project. I can’t wait to go back for more!

About the glassware

This little Spice of Life Corning Ware dish was a gift from my cousin Bonnie. Growing up, her house was full of beautiful old things, and at a young age she taught me the value of learning the history of each antique – what’s the story? Why did people buy it? What do the different makes and makers mean? She infused this curiosity when it comes to vintage and antique pieces into me. So, you know – it’s all her fault!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Pillsbury Plus Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, chopped and drained

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*F. Grease cookie sheets. Combine cake mix, oil and eggs; blend until smooth. Stir in oats, raisins and oranges. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350*F for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Sesame Peanut Drops

June 18, 2020 by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Pillsbury’s BEST 11th Grand National Bake-Off Cookbook (1960)

About the Recipe

Who doesn’t love a peanut butter cookie? And this one is super nutty and delicious with the sesame seeds. YUM! I used crunchy, natural peanut butter for a really savory result. If you like a more crunchy cookie, give it a smash with the fork. If you’re into something more chewy, use a drop method and just leave it be. Either way, these are sure to please any peanut lover’s palate.

For more recipes in the Pillsbury Challenge, click here!

About the book

Another book that was gifted to me, this one had so many great recipes that it was difficult to choose just one! I’m trying for some variety though, so we landed on the cookies. That said, this is for sure one I’ll revisit when all is said and done.

About the glassware

This little Butterprint bowl is one of my favorites! It’s the perfect size for a bowl of cereal or soup, and I use it like that often. One of the few pleasures of being quarantined at the moment is getting to use that bowl on a regular basis. And it wasn’t too shabby for displaying the cookies either!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sesame seed
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Directions:

Toast sesame seeds at 375*F for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool.

Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Cream together shortening and peanut butter. Gradually add sugar and brown sugar, creaming well. Blend in half of the dry ingredients, then the eggs, then remaining dry ingredients; mix well. Add vanilla and sesame seed.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. If desired, flatten with fork, criss cross fashion. Bake at 375*F for 10-12 minutes.