Brownie Recipe from Betty Crocker's Dinner for Two (1958)

Brownie Recipe from Betty Crocker's Dinner for Two (1958)

With Valentine’s Day just under a month away, I thought it appropriate to feature a recipe from the 1958 classic Betty Crocker’s book Dinner for Two.

Everyone loves Brownies, and I’m sure you would enjoy this recipe – you can never get tired of the classics, especially one which is 57 years old!

Interestingly, the book illustrator, Charles (or Charley) Harper was a well known American Modernist artist, images as below. Yet another reason why I love this fabulous book! 

Brownies

2 sq. unsweetened chocolate (2 oz. or 56g)

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup sifted Gold Medal flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ cup broken nuts

Heat oven to 350° (mod.) [180° C]

Grease generously an 8” square pan. Melt chocolate and shortening together over hot water. 

Beat in sugar and eggs. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and sit into chocolate mixture. Mix in nuts. Spread in pan. Bake 30 to 35 min., until top has dull crust.

A slight imprint will remain when touched lightly with finger.

Cool slightly. Cut into 16 2” squares.

Enjoy!

With love from, 

New Year's Eve Party - Vintage Punch Recipe

This very delicious punch recipe from 1959's Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cook Book would be perfect to ring in the New Year! 

Golden Banquet Punch

2/3 cup boiling water

2 tea bags

11/2 cups pineapple juice

1 cup grapefruit juice 

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 to 1 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups ice water 

Aromatic bitters to taste (optional) 

1 large bottle (3 1/2 to 4 cups) ginger ale, chilled

Pour boiling water over tea; cover and let stand 5 minutes; strain. Combine fruit juices and tea; add sugar and stir til dissolved. Chill. Add ice water. Generously dash in aromatic bitters to taste. Pour mixture over cake of ice in punch bowl. Pour ginger ale slowly down side of bowl. Makes about 20 one-half cup servings.

Enjoy!

All the best for 2015!

With love from,

Vintage Christmas Recipe Series - Gingerbread Men

Happy Holidays!

The Vintage Kitchen is taking a break over the holidays but I will be posting recipes for New Year so look out for that! 

In January I will resume posting kitchenalia items for sale - and I have some amazing, collectable items that would look fantastic in your kitchen! 

The festive recipe today comes from the classic 1929 recipe book 'Anyone Can Bake' :

Gingerbread Men

2 3/4 cups flour

3 tablespoons Royal Baking Powder

1/3 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

2/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup melted shortening

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and ginger together. Mix molasses, sugar, egg and shortening together and add the dry ingredients to make soft dough. 

Shape in forms of little men, animals or plain cookies; bake on greased pan in moderate oven at 375 degrees F. ten to twelve minutes.

Makes eighteen small men about four inches high. 

Have a blessed Christmas,

With love from,

Vintage Christmas Recipe Series #5 - Cherry-Date Holiday Balls

The fifth in the series comes from a 1963 edition of a Pillsbury Family Cook Book: 

Cherry-Date Holiday Balls

2 eggs, we'll beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup packaged flaked coconut

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

36 candied cherries

Oven 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C)     Yield: 36 balls

Combine eggs, sugar, nuts, dates, coconut, almond and vanilla extracts and salt.

Place in buttered 8-inch (20cm) square pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C) for 30 minutes, stirring mixture thoroughly every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well. Cool and shape into balls around cherries,

Roll in confectioners sugar.

With love from,

Vintage Christmas Recipe Series #4 - 'Cooky' Christmas Tree

                             Vintage Christmas Recipe Series #4 - 'Cooky' Christmas Tree

This recipe comes from the 1945 edition of the Woman's Home Companion Cook Book : 

Cooky Christmas Tree

Prepare 2 recipes of vanilla rolled cookies. Roll out 1 1/2cm thick.

Cut out 8 star-shaped cookies in graduated sizes, the first a 20cm star, the second a 17cm and so on down to a 3cm star.

Cut out 16 small round cookies, 2 to be used between each 2 stars.

Cut a small round hole in the center of each cooky (cookie) except the 3cm star.

Bake as directed.

Frost the stars with white or green frosting and garnish with silver dragees to resemble Christmas-tree ornaments.

With a pastry tube make small rosettes of frosting on the points of each star.

In the center of each rosette put tiny red, blue or white candles made by cutting birthday candles in 3 or 4 pieces, then scraping away the wax to free the wick.

Prepare a slender round stick supported on a small square base so that it will stand. Decorate the base with frosting or cover with tinfoil. Slip the 20cm star onto the stick, then 2 round cookies, then the 17cm star, then 2 round cookies, and so on until only the 3cm star is left. This is the top of the tree and be stuck to the top of the stick with a little frosting. Alternate the points of the stars to get the effect of Christmas-tree branches.

Vanilla Rolled Cookies

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Sift voucher; measure; add baking powder and salt; sift again.

Cream shortening; add sugar gradually and continue to best until light. Add we'll beaten eggs and blend thoroughly; add vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients and the creamed mixture; mix all thoroughly and chill.

Roll as thin as possible on a lightly floured board and cut with cooky cutter. Or form small balls of the dough and place on a greased baking sheet; flatten with bottom of glass tumbler, first greased and then dipped in sugar, or with the palm of the hand, floured, or with the tines of a silver fork, pressing the balls down twice with the the markings at right angles.

Sprinkle with sugar, chopped nuts or coconut. Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees F. / 204 degrees Celcius) 6 to 10 minutes. 

With love from,