This year I had a whole plateful of 1940’s cookies planned for testing. Unfortunately, seasonal sickness had other plans. Like it usually does in our house. After I got Alex on a round of antibiotics for her ear infection, I was hurriedly able to crank out one cookie to test for you guys.
Of course, it was the chocolate one. I needed them. Trust me.
AuthorRetroRuth
From The Electric Company Home Service Bureau, 1940
Tested Recipe!
[cooked-sharing]
Cream butter, add sugar and blend well.
Add egg, beat until light and fluffy. Add chocolate and blend well.
Sift dry ingredients together; add nuts. Mix evaporated milk and water.
Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Add vanilla.
Drop by tablespoons onto greased or parchment covered cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until puffed and springy in the center.
Spread with frosting while still warm.
Yield: 3 dozen
Stir in egg yolk (if using) milk into melted chocolate, slowly. Add powdered sugar slowly until consistency to spread. (You might not use all of the powdered sugar)
Ingredients
Directions
Cream butter, add sugar and blend well.
Add egg, beat until light and fluffy. Add chocolate and blend well.
Sift dry ingredients together; add nuts. Mix evaporated milk and water.
Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Add vanilla.
Drop by tablespoons onto greased or parchment covered cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until puffed and springy in the center.
Spread with frosting while still warm.
Yield: 3 dozen
Stir in egg yolk (if using) milk into melted chocolate, slowly. Add powdered sugar slowly until consistency to spread. (You might not use all of the powdered sugar)
This recipe comes from a fantastic pamphlet I picked up last year that is a Christmas supplement from The Electric Company Home Service Bureau that was sent out in 1940 and contains nothing but Christmas cookies. I love it. It reminds me of the fabulous pamphlets and books we used to get from the gas company in Wisconsin when I was growing up.
Anyway, mostly because of lack of sleep and a cranky toddler, it wasn’t until this point that I started to get that strange, deja vu feeling I get when I’ve made a recipe before. A little digging confirmed it: These cookies are basically a stripped down version of Jim Dandies, which I had tested quite a while ago.
So, the results of this became a forgone conclusion. Yes, they are good, even without all the Jim Dandy bells and whistles (or marshmallows and cherries). But, luckily for us, we had someone who had never tried these cookies before:
Do you see the crumbs around her mouth and on the table? She acted like she was helping me frost cookies, but in reality she was just straight out eating them while my back was turned. She had three cookies down before I noticed. But she said they were “Very, very yummy,” so all was forgiven.
The Verdict: Yummy
From The Tasting Notes –
These cookies are closer to tiny cakes in texture and brownies in flavor. Surprisingly chocolaty for a vintage recipe. They are very good as is, or you can add a marshmallow and a cherry and have a Jim Dandy instead. If you decide to leave out the yolk in your frosting like I did, add in an extra tablespoon of evaporated milk.
Ruth, do you think somehow buttermilk could be used in this recipe? My mother made a delicious chocolate drop with buttermilk in it, so it had this little “tang.” My sister-in-law claims to have the recipe and if I can get it off of her, I will post it!
Thanks,
Janet
You can sub 1/4 c buttermilk for an egg.
Merry Christmas.
I will try this after the butter level in my blood goes down.
This year my job is to make the cookie dough . The wife has found old “southern” style recipes. How much butter can they eat? One batch has so much stuff that it kept trying to escape the Mix Master.It climbed the side and I kept shoving it back down.
The other day she put a hot pot and wooden spoon in my lap. Got to scrape the last of the Christmas fudge out of it. GOOD WIFE!!!!
Some of the best recipes came from the utility companies!
Hi! Yep, you totally could. Just sub it for the 1/2 evap milk and water combo, and you should be all good!
Would love to see that recipe!
I haven’t checked out midcenturymenu.com in quite a while, figuring you were busy during the Big Jolly Holiday Season, and these chocolate cookies look a lot like the ones my grandmother used to make in the late 50’s, early 60’s. They sound really tasty, and more convenient than making a whole chocolate cake for just the two of us.
This recipe looks amazing! I to add it to my list for next year!!
Friday is next year. Looks like Bowl game cookies to me.
My mother’s family in Iowa has made a similar cookie since 1940’s. We use sour milk .1 c. Milk with 1 Tb vinegar in it. Have you researched your vintage recipe to see how far back it goes, maybe earliest sightingbofbthis recipe?
I don’t like nuts in my cookies, will leaving out the cup of nuts affect the texture at all?