Brown Sugar Drops – A 1940s Cookie Recipe

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

My version of the recipe is one-half of the original and I substituted dairy sour cream for the sour milk.  Like all of the recipes in this little book, the Brown Sugar Drops are easy and quick to make, homestyle, not too rich – just a good old-fashioned cookie.

BROWN SUGAR DROPS

• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
• Raisins or walnut halves (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Lightly grease cookie sheets

Cream together the shortening, light brown sugar, egg and sour cream.  Mix in the soda and salt.  Gradually mix in the flour until well blended.

Drop cookies by a level measuring tablespoon onto the greased cookie sheets.

Place cookies 2 inches apart.

If desired, press a walnut half or 3 raisins into the tops of the cookies.

Bake @ 400 degrees F for 6 to 7 minutes until cookies are golden brown on the tops and bottoms.

Place on a wire rack to cool.

Yield:  Approximately 32 cookies

A cup of tea from this pretty teapot would go well with the cookies.

Orange Flavor Extract Cookies–A 1940s Recipe

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

This cookie is very typical of the 1940s – a big, fat cookie that is crisp on the outside and somewhat cake-like on the inside with a light orange flavor.  At the writer’s suggestion, I added chocolate chips to the dough and on some of the batches, pressed raisins or a pecan half in each cookie before baking.  They are all good and very satisfying.

I love this McCoy cookie jar I inherited from my mother

ORANGE FLAVOR EXTRACT COOKIES

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. orange extract
• 1 tsp.soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Lightly grease cookie sheets

In large mixer bowl, cream light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and shortening.  Mix in milk and orange extract.

In separate bowl, whisk together the soda, salt, baking powder, and flour.  Add to creamed mixture, mixing well.

Drop by rounded measuring tablespoon on greased cookie sheet, two inches apart.

Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes @ 350 degrees F until cookies are golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 48 cookies – 2-½ inch diameter

Also delicious with raisins….

…and with nuts.

Chocolate Drop Cookies – a 1940s Recipe

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

These Chocolate Drop Cookies are a very simple little cookie, soft on the inside and slightly crunchy outside.

CHOCOLATE DROP COOKIES

• ¼ cup butter or oleo (margarine)
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup shortening
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• Two one-oz squares of semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• ½ tsp. soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1-¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease cookie sheets.

Cream together the butter/margarine, egg, shortening and sugar.  Add the melted chocolate to the creamed mixture.  Stir the soda, salt and flour into the creamed mixture.  Add milk and vanilla.

Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.

Bake @ 400 degrees F for approximately 8 minutes.  Remove to a rack to cool.

Makes about 54 small cookies.

What better way to serve these cookies than on a vintage EAPG dessert plate.  I have a fair-sized collection of EAPG but recently found the 6-1/2 inch diameter dessert plates which I did not have yet.  They were 50 cents each for 9 plates at the local Goodwill thrift shop.

I baked some of the cookies with an almond pressed in the top and some with a piece of pitted date.

This cookie jar looks vintage but was a Christmas gift this year picked out for me by my 12-year-old grandson.  He knows what I like.

Mt. Shasta Cookies

Back in the late 1980s when I was entering a lot of county and state fair contests, I subscribed to a publication called Blue Ribbon Gazette.  This was a collection of recipes submitted by prize winners from all over the country.  I found this recipe and made it for Christmas in 1988.  In my binder, I have a notation:  “Excellent – buttery and chewy.”

These are easy cookies to make – the dough and the meringue both handle nicely.

MT. SHASTA COOKIES

Cookie Dough:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
½ cup softened margarine (used Imperial)
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tblsp. milk
1 cup chopped nuts

Topping:
1 egg white
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease cookie sheets.

• Separate egg and set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix together flour and salt.

• Cream margarine, brown sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and milk.  Add flour mixture, mix well.  Stir in nuts.

• In a small bowl, whisk egg white until just frothy.  Stir in  ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup coconut.

• Put about 1 tsp dough on lightly greased cookie sheet.

• Flatten cookie dough with heel of hand to about 1-½ inches diameter.  Leave about 1 inch between each cookie.  Put about ½ tsp of meringue on top of each cookie.

• Bake 6-1/2 to 7 minutes @ 350 degrees F until cookies are lightly browned on bottom and meringue is just beginning to brown.

• Cool on a wire rack.  I always leave a few cookies without the topping for those who don’t like coconut

.

Yield:  About 60 1-½ inch cookies.

Wintertime Fruit Drops

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is the meal we had this week.

I developed this recipe in the early 1980s to enter in an Archway Cookie contest at the Ohio State Fair.  I didn’t win, but the family liked this soft cookie with all kinds of healthy ingredients and not too bad for a dieter.

WINTERTIME FRUIT DROPS

• 1/2 water
• 1/3 cup snipped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup snipped prunes
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, heat the water until boiling.  Remove from heat and add apricots, prunes and raisins.  Stir and allow mixture to stand for 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream brown sugar and butter, add egg and lemon extract.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Add to brown sugar mixture and beat until blended.  Stir in drained dried fruit and chopped nuts.

Drop by a level measuring tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 2″ between each cookie.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until cookies are golden brown.  Cool on a rack.

Yield:  Approximately 2 dozen cookies

Nutrition per Diet Power software based on 24 cookies:  One cookie = 88 calories, 3.27 g fat, 15.2 mg cholesterol, 25.1 mg sodium, 85.1 mg potassium, 14.1 g carbohydrate, 0.659 g dietary fiber, 1.4 g protein

Weight Watchers Points based on 24 cookies:  2 points per cookie

For our entree today, we had an old favorite – Mom’s Tuna Melts (see recipe here).

This week, we were joined by my oldest daughter and the three of us enjoyed a reduced calorie/fat lunch with a lot of good flavor.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I first made these cookies in 1956 when I was the young mother of an infant boy and a toddler daughter.  They were very popular and I continued to make them over the years.  I remember when we lived in a pretty white house in the suburbs in the 1960s, all the neighborhood kids would gather on the back porch when the aroma of these cookies wafted out the screen door on summer days.  The cookies won ribbons at our county fair and at the Ohio State Fair in the 1980s.  Today, I baked another batch with the “help” of my youngest granddaughter, and they still taste good.

 

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

¾ cup margarine or butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
1 egg
1-1/2 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups quick cooking dry oatmeal
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped nuts

Large mixer bowl:  Beat together margarine/butter, sugars, water, and egg.  Sift together flour, soda and salt, and add to shortening mix.  Add oatmeal and vanilla.  Stir in chocolate chips, raisins, nuts.

Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for about 6-1/2 minutes.Yield:  Approx. 60 cookies

Note:  Could be made as plain oatmeal cookies or with the addition of only chips or raisins or nuts.