I love looking through old cookbooks. Seeing how ingredients change, hearing the stories behind the recipes, seeing how word spellings change over time, and finding that some things never change is always fun for me. My mother-in-law has an original copy of the Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book from 1963. When the reprint edition came out in 2002 my husband and I were quick to snatch one up!
The Cooky Book is a charming cookbook. And I love that cookie is spelled “cooky”. The new edition is just like the old one. It has the same recipes, the same pen and ink illustrations and the same color photographs. And in the back, there is section for the best cookies over the years. They talk about how fashions in cookies, just like in clothing, change over the years. The section includes recipes and photographs of seven decades of America’s favorite cookies. The recipes begin with hermits, a favorite “cooky” from 1880-1890. The 1920’s brought the introduction of brownies. Can you imagine a world without brownies? And how about chocolate chip cookies? They were introduced to homemakers in 1939 on a radio series.
I love the historical notes about spices, how to store buttermilk, recipes for molasses for when sugar was short during the depression and “the war”, and how WWII simplified baking. My husband’s favorite Christmas cookie is “Holiday Fruit Drops” which was the best “cooky” of 1945-1950.
All of that, and the over 450 cookie recipes are delicious. Some are old favorites, but some are so old I think they’ve been forgotten. Particularly those recipes that have a heritage slant. Brazillian Nut Cookies, Berlinerkranser (Norwegian wreath cookies), Zucker Hutchen (little sugar hats), Moravian Ginger Cookies, Honey-Filled Biscuits (from France) and Zimtsterne (from Switzerland) all sound promising. Others I probably won’t try. Wheaties Nut Drops don’t sound that great to me. And some recipes will need to be updated. We don’t use raw eggs for frostings or glazes these days.
The book also includes directions for shipping cookies, hosting receptions, and packing lunches. The Cooky Book is a fun gift for grandmothers or for anyone who likes to bake. The books motto is “happy the home with the full cooky jar”.
More Cookbooks and Cookies:
Thanksgiving 101 – Rick Rodgers
Awesome Mexican Wedding Cookies