Vintage Candy Recipes from the 1941 Candy Booklet: "The Candy Book"

 

 

 

 

When December started, I thought it might be fun to feature some vintage candy recipes from my collection.  I got as far as scanning a couple of the pages and then life took a different turn.  We had some unplanned things pop up and priorities changed; holiday baking and goodies took a backseat to life and of course, posting vintage recipes from an old 1941 candy booklet was so far down the priority list that it literally was off my radar.

I now have zero interest in posting this fun vintage recipe run that I had planned.  I happened to see these unused files on my laptop today and realized I should probably just post all of them here along with the images - in one post.  This way, if anyone in the universe is looking for any of these old vintage candy recipes that their grandmothers or great-grandmothers (or even great-great-grandmothers) made, they can be found.  

If you right click on the image and open it in its own browser window it will be very large and easily readable if you are having trouble reading the print in the current fit-to-page size.

Cocoa Fondant Fudge
Condensed Milk Candy
Whipped Cream Fudge
Caramel Cream Squares
Malted Milk Nut Dainty
Nut Kisses
Baked Fruit Fudge

 

Barley Sugar
Brittled Almonds
Horehound Candy
Tropical Nuggets
Ginger Bars
Stick-Jaw
Butterscotches
Almond Butter Crunch
Rice Flakes Candies

 

Fruit Creams
Gingerees
Peppermint Creams
Baltimore Layer Candy
Maple Creams
Maple Brittle
14-Minute Maple Candy
Maple Molasses Gems

 

Coconut Caramels
Coconut Drops
Coconut Dainties
Coconut Cones
Coconut Straws
Coconut Squares
Simple Cooked Marzipan
Uncooked Marzipan

 

Make Up And Use Later Marzipan
Marzipan Goodies
Golden Marzipan
Honey Glazed Cherries

 

Chocolate Fudge
White Fudge
Almond Fudge

Chocolate Maple Fudge
Sour Cream Candy
Molasses Fudge
Panocha
Maple Panocha
Coffee Panocha

Gumdrops
Pralines
Turkish Paste
Rainbow Candy

 

 

 

'Knitted' Look Mitten and Hat Cut-out Sugar Cookies - with a cable knit frosting decor look

A quick photo snapped while decorating. The blue cookies were decorated like knitted cookies too.

   

Hats and Mittens - that was my 'theme' for cut out sugar cookies this year.  I still did some Christmas trees and a couple others but I was really excited about the hats and mittens this year.

You would think I would have taken a lot of great photos then, right?  Wrong.  This year, December 13th I got thrown for a 'loop' and the world got crazy busy and time got away from me.  I managed to get these cookies made and enough goodies to make up 5 huge trays this year but that's it.  

Life.  It's what happens when you are busy making other plans.

Yesterday I remembered I had a tray of cookies in the freezer waiting to go with a family member to her co-workers!  I grabbed the tray out and quickly snapped a few pictures so at least I can say I got a few pictures of one random cookie tray in 2021!

 

 

Thoughts:  I don't love the blue knit cookies as much as I do the white knit cookies.  I debated leaving the blue mitten cookies solid, but I had plenty of icing left so I went ahead and did a gray cable knit design on them.  They are 'fine' but I think next year I might leave some solid and some knit.

Fall: Pumpkin Time... this one is another pumpkin cake with streusel topping

  

 

 

Crumb Topping:

1/2  c almond flour 
1 T good quality coconut flour
1/4 c Swerve Brown
1/4 c butter, soft
1/4 t cinnamon

Pumpkin Cake: 

 

1 c almond flour 

1/2 c natural sweetener(s) - I use Erythritol, monk fruit and some allulose mixed

1/4 c vanilla or unflavored whey protein powder (I use Isopure)

2 T coconut flour

2 t baking powder 

1/2 t cinnamon, ginger
dash of cloves and nutmeg

1/4 t salt 

2/3 cup pumpkin puree 

2 eggs

3 T butter, melted

1 t vanilla extract 

 

Glaze

1/4 - 1/3 cup powdered sweetener(s) - I use a mixture of 2-3 I keep in a container in the pantry
1 T cream cheese (optional)

2 tablespoon cream 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Put the eggs, pumpkin, butter and vanilla in another large bowl and mix until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Grease a small cake, bundt or springform pan that fits inside your instant pot.  

 

Pour the batter into the pan.  To make it easier to pull your pan out of the instant pot, use a long piece of aluminum foil, folded over a few times and set the pan in the middle of it, pulling the sides up and over the pan so you can 'lift' it out easily when it's done. (Or if you are lucky enough to use a 'sling' now made for lifting pans out of your instant pot, use that! I don't have one though...)

 

Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter.  Set a trivet in a 6-quart Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Place the pan on the trivet, seal the lid, press manual cook, and set the timer for 35 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. 

 

Open lid and let cool in the instant pot for 10 minutes before removing.

Mix the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl or processor. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

 

 Making the crumb topping up

  

I might add about 1/4 c chopped pecans to this next time.... 

  

In the pan...

 

Sprinkled the crumb topping on - but also you can see the foil I use as a 'handle' to lower and raise the pan into the instant cooker.  I think some people cover the whole top with foil as well - I assume to keep the excess condensation from running back onto the cake?  If you are using a springform pan, you'll want to wrap the outside of the pan with foil for sure so no water seeps in through the seams of it.

In the instant pot (or in my case, the Cosori)

  Here is a photo of it 'done' and out of the instant pot, cooling on the stove.

 

 Ready for the glaze

  

You wouldn't have to put a glaze on it if you didn't want to.

 

It's just a basic glaze - sweeteners, a little cream cheese, a bit of cream and a dash of vanilla. 

Was great with coffee - and it freezes well.

 

 

 

Homemade Sugarfree Strawberry or Raspberry Breakfast Rolls - could also be made low carb/keto if you choose

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NOTES/VARIABLES:  

I didn't bother making this one keto or lowcarb.  They are sugar free as always, but I used flour.

FRESH GROUND WHEAT FLOUR:  Instead of keto flour, this version was made with freshly milled wheat.  I only buy and use store-bought flour when I'm doing my massive Christmas baking.  

YOU CAN USE KING ARTHUR KETO FLOUR and use this recipe. 

This makes a soft dough and it's best to slice the rolls from the long log by using un-flavored dental floss (slip under, criss cross, pull back and slice). 

Because we didn't need a whole 9X13" pan full at one time, I sliced some and froze them in a round 9" prepared pan, ready to thaw, rise and bake when I needed them.  Then I froze the rolled 'log' and sliced them with a knife the next morning.  Some I sliced and placed in small individual prepared pans for a 'one or two' at a time breakfast.  So you do you.  Freeze or don't, slice right away or don't, and bake in the size pan you want.

When they are done baking, let them cool down and frost with a glaze; a super quick sugar free glaze is to spread a sugarfree frosting over the top of all.  I keep two (2) backup cans of sugarfree frosting in the pantry at all times for last second impromptu use.  I don't love the flavor of store bought frosting on cakes or cookies (I prefer homemade) but on these rolls it was really good.

I've made these with both sugar free raspberry and sugar free strawberry jams.  You could use any flavor filling you wish but when I make my orange breakfast rolls, I don't use a prepared jam.  I think these would be good with any berry, peach, apple, cherry, even lemon.  OR just make them into cinnamon rolls by using a mixture of sugarfree 'brown' sweetener, butter and cinnamon as the filling.

Homemade Sugarfree Strawberry (or raspberry) Breakfast Rolls

You can use your own favorite bread dough recipe for this.  I happened to use one of two that are my 'go to' recipes. 

1/4 c butter
1 c scalded milk (I scald quickly in the microwave)
1/4 c natural sweetener(s) of choice
1-2 t sugar (which will be eaten and used up by the yeast)
1/2 t salt
1 pkg. active yeast (2 1/4 t) sprinkled in 1/2 c warm water and let foam
1 egg
3 1/2 - 4 c flour
Sugar Free Seedless Strawberry Jam
Sugarfree glaze or frosting of choice

Place the butter, salt and sweeteners and small amount of sugar in a bowl.  Pour the scalded milk over and let it cool to just warmer than room temperature.  Add the beaten egg, mix briefly then add the yeast mixture.  Add the flour and knead with the dough hook on your mixer (or by hand if that's your thing but I'm lazy and use my KitchenAid mixer).  When the dough is soft, the gluten is formed and you can gently spread a piece of it without it snapping apart or breaking, place it into a greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and let it rise to double.  Punch down, rise again.  

Punch down and roll out into a large rectangle on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or surface.  You can also divide the dough and do separate smaller rectangles if a large one is too much for you to handle or you want to freeze half the dough for later or you want to make a loaf of bread or buns out of it!  

Warm your fruit filling a bit in the microwave so it's easy to spread and spread over the dough, leaving about 1" on the top border.  Now roll up the dough tightly into a long log shape.  If you've used parchment paper under the dough, you can use it to help start and lift the dough, rolling tightly to start and then rolling up gently until you get the whole log rolled.  Now, use your fingers to pinch and seal the roll with a seam.

It's easier to slice if you place the log into the refrigerator or freezer for a little while, but if you want to slice right away, use the un-flavored dental floss to slice as I described above in the notes.  Using floss or a sharp knife, slice as thin or thick as you wish; and carefully lay into your prepared (greased) pans.  

Let them rise if you are baking them right away and not freezing them.  Bake at 350 for about 15-35 minutes depending on the size pan you are using and how many rolls you are baking.  When they are puffy, golden brown and the center rolls are done and not doughy, remove and let cool.  When cool, spread with your homemade or store bought glaze or sugar free vanilla frosting.

You can make a quick version by using  powdered confectioner style sweetener mixed with a dash of vanilla and a tiny bit of cream. The amount needed again is determined by the pan size, number of rolls and how thick you like and prefer your glaze or frostings on your rolls.  Some like them completely plain and they are excellent that way too.

A frozen 'log' of strawberry breakfast rolls - being sliced

 

 

I baked a small pan right away, another pan went into the freezer for another day.

  

Some I placed in individual greased pans to freeze and bake just one or two at a time at a later date. 

 

 

Breakfast rolls are one of the few items I like store bought sugar free frosting on.  They taste like the raspberry and strawberry breakfast sweet rolls from my childhood that my Grandma used to serve at their business (and I would always ask for when we visited!)

 

Still a little warm but I couldn't wait any longer!  YUM.

 

 

 

Aunt Carol's Homemade Cherry Coffee Cake - Plus - A low carb low sugar option!

 

 

This vintage recipe is one from my childhood, and one of the very few cakes my mother ever made - but she made it all the time so it is a huge part of my childhood 'food' memories.  It originally came from my Aunt Carol and I know my Mother made it all through the 1970's and 1980's.

Back then it was popular to serve "coffee cake" at any and every get together at your home.  Anytime you had your neighbor over for morning coffee, hosted any gathering, had relatives come to visit, had a Tupperware party or other sales party at your home, had after-church socials, etc.... there was coffee cake.

It's quick and easy - and you can use whatever filling you like in it.  You can even make your own filling-of-choice if you don't want to use store bought canned fillings.  My mom usually used an apple filling, second only to cherry but we also often had either blueberry or peach.  Pumpkin and chocolate also work but I don't recall her ever making a lemon version.  If I were to try lemon I'd leave out the cinnamon topping.

THE LOW CARB, LOW SUGAR VERSION

I hadn't thought of this cake in a few years since we usually eat keto low carb and sugar free.  But the cool Fall weather set in and I found myself reminiscing about this cake.  I have King Arthur Keto Flour in my freezer so I remade this recipe using the keto flour, avocado oil and a low sugar cherry pie filling I already had on hand. 

The can of pie filling says it has 4 g sugar per 1/3 cups of filling; which is FAR more filling that you have with a piece of this cake.  The can says 7 servings, so at 28 grams for the whole can, divided into a 9X13 pan of coffee cake, cut into approximately 18 pieces, that gives you 1.55 grams of sugar per serving.

ORIGINAL VINTAGE COFFEE CAKE from the 70's

1 c sugar
1 c oil
4 eggs
2 c flour
1t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t sugar
1 can pie filling

Mix the sugar, oil and eggs.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla.  Beat just until smooth.  Spread half into a prepared 9X13" pan.  Top with a can of pie filling.  Finish topping with the rest of the batter.  Mix the 1 1/2 t sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over all.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Serve with Cool Whip or Dream Whip or whipped cream after its cooled.

LOWER CARB AND LOW SUGAR VERSION  

1 c natural granular sweetener(s) - like Lakanto, etc. (erythritol, allulose, xylitol, Monk Fruit, Swerve)
1 c oil of choice
4 eggs
2 c King Arthur Keto Flour

1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1 T natural sweetener of choice
Up to 1/3 c water if needed

1 large can low sugar/no sugar added pie filling (or make your own version)

Mix the sweetener(s) with the oil and eggs.  Add the keto flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla.  If the batter is really, really thick (too thick to stir/beat very well) add about 2 tablespoons water at a time until it's still a fairly stiff dough, but you can beat it.  You don't want it too runny or it won't bake up nicely, but the King Arthur Keto Flour does require a bit more moisture/liquid than wheat flour would.

Spread half the batter into a greased 9X13" pan.  Top with the no sugar pie filling, and spoon the last half of the batter over all.  Spread it a bit if you can.  Mix granular sweetener with a teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over all.  Bake at 350 until just done in the center by testing.  This could be 35 minutes or may be up to 55 minutes depending on the oil you used, and the pan you used as well as your own personal oven.  Let it cool completely or almost completely before serving with real, whipped cream sweetened with a no-sugar option or plain, if you prefer.

Here it is going into the oven - not baked yet.

Vintage Recipe: Broccoli Casserole (the 'church cookbook' kind your grandmother or great-grandma might have made)

"Anything special you want for dinner?" I asked.
Surprisingly the answer was, "Yeah... uh, for a side dish, make that broccoli casserole thing.  I'm really craving that!"

Blink. Blink. Blink.  (That's me)

Yes, my husband requested not only a vegetable... but a casserole.  He loves this casserole (one of perhaps only two or three since he is not a casserole kind of guy)  and it's the easiest, quickest thing to throw together.   It's an 'oldie' and probably has fifty different versions depending on the person making it, but this is the one he loves, I love, the kids loved... and it's something we've made for too many years to count.  

The amounts are approximate - a little more, a little less, meh.  Also, I have made this a number of times with fresh broccoli - just make sure you cook it tender as this casserole is not as good if the broccoli is still too crisp.  Plus, I don't like 'wasting' fresh broccoli on a casserole when it's so good in various ways eaten fresh and crisp; or in dishes where it's the star of the dish and stands out.  This is a good old fashioned casserole and frozen works perfectly.

I know I've posted it on An American Housewife previously, but to make it quick and easy to find I'm posting again. 

Broccoli Casserole

20 oz. frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
Optional:  replace some of the broccoli or add to it a bit of frozen, cooked carrots/yellow squash
2 eggs
1 c mayonnaise
1 can cream of mushroom soup (regular or fat free)
1 c shredded cheddar cheese (option: I've used some Velveeta in it and the family loved it)
3/4 c crushed Ritz Crackers
1/4 c butter
Salt and Pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, soup, cheese and eggs.  Add the broccoli.  Pour into a greased casserole dish or 9X13 ish pan.  Top with the crushed crackers and either dot the top with butter or melt and pour over.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

 

We never used to have Ritz Crackers on hand and had to buy them for this dish but with a baby/toddler around we now have Ritz on hand most all the time so this is really easy to whip up for dinner!

This time I used 20 oz. broccoli but also some frozen carrot/yellow squash, cooked and drained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spaghetti Inside a Garlic Pastry Crust - (my Low Carb, Keto option too!)

  

When I decided to try making this 'idea' I had in my head, I didn't know how it would turn out but since I had one of my old cell phones sitting on the kitchen counter, I grabbed it every once in a while and snapped some photos.  I'm glad I did... because this was pretty yummy!

I was busy yesterday and had left the house early so I had nothing out thawing for dinner, nor had any ideas of what to make.  When I had to brainstorm something fairly fast for dinner, a keto spaghetti came to mind.  I normally like to use Great Low Carb Bread Company Low Carb Pasta, but I'm currently out of all but their elbow macaroni.  However, I had Palmini Hearts of Palm Pasta - which I always keep some on hand in the pantry, as I can find that locally and don't have to order it online.

There is no recipe for this, it's more of an idea I had when getting ready to make a regular keto style spaghetti and garlic bread dinner.

Use your favorite keto/low carb spaghetti sauce, faux pasta and favorite keto Bread Product.

Keto Spaghetti Inside a Garlic Bread Pastry

Your favorite keto/low carb spaghetti sauce
Your favorite keto/low carb bread - thin sliced
Your favorite keto/low carb pasta
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Butter
Garlic, minced
Garlic salt
Parsley

Prepare your keto pasta of choice, add a bit of butter or oil so it doesn't stick while you prepare the pan.
Cut the crusts off enough slices of keto or low carb bread, enough to cover whatever size pan you are using.  SAVE the crusts for another dish!  I save all my keto bread ends and bits in a baggy in the freezer and use them to make 'keto bread crumbs' and stuffing for a keto Thanksgiving.
Use a rolling pin to flatten the bread slices.
Melt some butter (amount depends on the number of bread slices) - start with about 1 stick or 1/2 cup.
Add about 2 teaspoons minced garlic, a 1/2 t garlic salt and about a tablespoon of parsley.
Brush each slice of flattened bread on both sides and start to lay them in your pan of choice, overlapping the seams just a little to cover your pan.
Use your fingers to seal the seems a little bit.
Place a layer of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the bread pastry crust bottom.
At this point you can pre-bake your bread for about 8 minutes or so. If you don't have time, skip it.  The bread just won't be quite as crunchy on the bottom.
Layer your spaghetti sauce and keto pasta into your pan in as many layers as you wish.  Fill your pan.
(If you use a sauce that is really runny or has a lot of liquid, you can simmer it ahead of time to reduce it to a nicer, thicker sauce.)
Top your pan with more garlic/parsley/butter brushed breads.

Bake at 350 approximately 40 minutes or until it's heated through, bubbly and golden brown.

I didn't have my favorite keto pasta on hand but I always have Palmini.  I rinsed it twice and then boiled it in water for about 10 minutes to soften it a bit. 

 

 

Cut the crusts off your bread and save them for another recipe like stuffing or use for bread crumbs.

 Now roll them out with a rolling pin to flatten them. 

 

  

And brush both sides with melted butter with garlic and parsley in it.

 Start to line whatever pan you wish to use - based on the number of servings you need to make.

  

The pan is covered with garlic bread, seams gently pressed together. 

 

Heating my sauce to reduce it a bit and make it thicker so it doesn't saturate the bread.

 A thin layer of mozzarella and parmesan.

 

 

This time I started with a bit of sauce over the cheeses.  I thought my cheese layer would seal the bread but next time I make this I'll pre-bake the bread with the cheese layer first for about 8 minutes and then I'll top with the keto pasta, followed by the sauce.  I think this will seal the bottom bread layer better from getting soft.

  

Layering 

 

 Finish the top of your pan of spaghetti with the same melted butter/garlic brushed slices of keto bread.

   

Into the oven!

I baked mine about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

When I served it, I flipped my pan over onto a serving tray as I had used a rounded, pretty, half-circle loaf pan.  I popped it back into the oven with the curved side up, to toast the underside (now topside) of the bread.   If I had used a regular flat bottomed pan to bake it in, we could simply cut and serve much like lasagna.

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