Chocolate-Frosted Brownies

This recipe comes from my great-grandmother's original 1950Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. 


Chocolate-Frosted Brownies
Melt together over hot water...
     2 sq. unsweetened chocolate (2 oz.)
     1/3 cup shortening
Beat in...  
     1 cup sugar
     2 eggs
Sift together and stir in...
     3/4 cup sifted GOLD MEDAL Flour
     1/2 tsp. baking powder
     1/2 tsp. salt
Mix in...
     1/2 cup broken nuts
 Spread in well greased 8" square pan (8x8x2"). Bake until top has dull crust. A slight imprint will be left when top is touched lightly with finger. Cool slightly...then cut into squares.

Temperature: 350 (mod. oven).
Time: Bake 30 to 35 min.
Amount: 16 2" squares.


Marie's Chocolate Icing
Melt over hot water 1 tbsp. butter and 1 sq. unsweetened chocolate (1 oz.). Blend in 1 1/2 tbsp. warm water. Stir and beat in about 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar (until icing will spread easily).


My Notes: The frosting makes the whole brownie! Seriously! I did not melt the chocolate for the brownies over hot water...I just microwaved it with the shortening (I used butter) for about 30 seconds at a time, stirring between heating. I also made sure I beat the eggs before adding them to the warm chocolate so they didn't turn into scrambled eggs. I did not add nuts because my hubby hates them in desserts!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A classic recipe from the original 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The glamorous Toll House cookies...first introduced to American homemakers in 1939 through my series of radio talks on "Famous Foods from Famous Eating Places."

Mix together thoroughly...

     1/2 cup soft shortening (part butter)

     3/4 cup sugar (half brown, half white)

     1 egg

     1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and stir in...

     1 1/8 cups sifted GOLD MEDAL Flour

     1/4 tsp. soda

     1/2 tsp. salt

Then mix into the dough...

      1/2 cup cut-up nuts 

     6-oz. package chocolate pieces (about 1 1/4 cups)

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until delicately browned...cookies should still be soft. Cool slightly...then remove from baking sheet.

Temperature: 375 (quick mod. oven).

Time: Bake 8 to 10 min.

Amount: About 3 doz. 2" cookies.

My Notes: A good recipe! It's basically the same as the recipe on the back of the Toll House chocolate chips bag but it has been cut down about 1/2. I did not use nuts due to my husband's preference :-)

Cinnamon Bread

 I have a little collection of vintage cookbooks I find at estate sales. This recipe comes from the Duncan Hines Adventures in Good Cooking--Tested Recipes of Unusual Dishes From America's Favorite Eating Places (Copyright 1951). It was contributed by Mrs. W. B. Taylor of Bowling Green, Kentucky. 


Cinnamon Bread
2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Mix together the egg whites and milk. In separate bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and egg yolks. Add to the egg white mixture. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to the wet mixture.

Bake in 300 F. oven for 30 minutes. When done pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

My Notes: The recipe name is deceiving...this is more like a coffee cake than a bread, but it is delicious! I poured the batter into an 8x8 pan and ended up baking this for 45 minutes until a toothpick came out clean. I did not use cake flour, I just used all-purpose flour. I already have a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to put on cinnamon toast, so I simply sprinkled that on top of the melted butter after the cake was baked.

Orange Oatmeal Cookies

 This recipe comes from the 1953 edition of The Family Circle Cake & Cooky Cookbook. Notice the spelling of cooky. It seems that cooky was singular and cookies was used for more than one cooky!

Orange Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup sifted flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, unbeaten
Grated rind of 1 orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1. Grease cooky sheets.
2. Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into sifter; sift into medium-size bowl.
3. Add shortening, egg, and orange rind and juice; beat with wooden spoon until smooth and well blended.
4. Blend in rolled oats (dough will be thick).
5. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, onto prepared cooky sheets.
6. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
7. Run spatula under cookies; remove to wire cake racks; cool; store in airtight container to keep crisp.

My Notes: These cookies fill your home with a wonderful orange aroma while baking! I did not sift anything...I'm lazy like that :-) I also didn't use a wooden spoon like the recipe said to. I should probably try to do things like people did during the time period of the recipe, but my Kitchen Aid is so much easier! Also, for the orange juice I just squeezed out some juice from the orange after I grated the rind off of it.