On hot summer days many cookies seem too heavy, so I browsed through my hundred-year-old cookbooks for a light, summer cookie. And, I think that I found the perfect recipe. Sponge Drops are the “angel food” of cookies. They are light and airy with a hint of vanilla.
Though I didn’t try it, I think that these cookies would work well to make ice cream sandwiches.
I’m still intrigued by how many desserts a hundred years ago had the word “sponge” in the title. There were sponge cakes, sponge pies, this sponge cookie recipe – and two weeks ago, I made a recipe for Apricot Sponge. I think that sponge refers to desserts with lots of beaten eggs that give them a certain lightness or creaminess.
Here is the original recipe:
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Sponge Drops
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 400° F. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda; set aside.
In a mixing bowl beat eggs, then add sugar and beat. Stir in flour mixture and vanilla. Drop by rounded teaspoons on greased baking sheet. (The teaspoons should just be round – not heaping. These cookies spread out quite a bit.) Bake about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Lovely recipe.
This sounds like my favorite kind of sugar cookie. The recipe goes into the “saved” file!
The cookies look really good. I wonder if they could be made lemon.
Once again, I find this old recipe fascinating. Back then they didn’t include the “of” in cream of tartar; and that way they dissolved baking soda in warm water because it was less refined then. Also liked hearing about the word “sponge” in everything back then. And “buttered tins” makes me smile. Really enjoyed this, Sheryl.
These look so light and tasty. :0
Yum! These sound delicious!
Yum! Bet they’d be delicious with ice cream.
Love cookies like this! Would be fun to try it with ice cream,maybe layer it … cookie ice cream ,fresh strawberries with a dap of whipped cream! I’m sure there wouldn’t be many calories involved.🤓
I remember something like this as a child. They look really delicious!
What a nice and light lovely cookie!!
I think in our family history, those cookies were called “Melting Moments.” Now I think I have to make some …