Old-Fashioned Cocoa Raisin Muffins

Cocoa Raisin Muffins

There is a fun children’s book that contains both a story and recipes called Billy in Bunbury. It was a promotional book that was published in 1925 by the Price Baking Powder Company. I decided to make a recipe in the book for Cocoa Raisin Muffins.

The muffins were delicious. They were chocolatey with a hint of cinnamon, and had a nice texture with lots of raisins. And, the recipe does not call for any eggs – an added bonus during this time of exorbitant egg prices. Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cocoa Raisin Muffins
Source: Billy in Bunbury (1925)

It is a little surprising that a recipe in a children’s cookbook calls for 7/8 cup of milk. I seldom see recipes that call for eights of a cup, and it seems like an especially complex measure for a child to navigate when making this recipe.

Raisins were the last ingredient I added when I made this recipe, and that worked fine.

The recipe indicates that this recipe will make 16 muffins, but when I made this recipe, it only made 12 muffins. The number of muffins is very dependent upon the size of the individual muffin cups in the muffin tin. Apparently, muffins were fairly small a hundred years ago.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cocoa Raisin Muffins

  • Servings: 12 -14
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 3/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons cocoa

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup raisins

7/8 cup milk

5 tablespoons butter or shortening, melted

Preheat oven to 400◦ F. Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Slowly add milk while stirring. Continue stirring until the batter is smooth, then add butter or shortening, and stir until combined. Stir in raisins. Put batter into prepared muffin tins. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4th  full.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

1925 Church Supper Menus

Church Supper Menus
Source: American Cookery (February, 1925)

Most churches I’ve attended had potluck dinners and picnics where people bring a dish to share, but some churches have dinners with menus. Sometimes these dinners might be fund-raisers. A hundred years ago churches also held dinners. Here’s some church supper menus in a 1925 magazine.

Old-Fashioned Corn Souffle

Corn Souffle

I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Corn Souffle, and decided to try it. The recipe called for separating the eggs and stiffly beating the egg whites, then folding them into a white sauce and corn mixture which is baked.

The Corn Souffle turned out well. It was delicious, and had a light, creamy, pudding-like texture.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Corn Souffle
Source: Cook Book Compiled by Women of Country Club Christian Church (Kansas City, Missouri), 1925

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Corn Souffle

  • Servings: 4 - 5
  • Difficulty: moderate
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2 eggs, separated

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2/3 cup milk

1 cup cooked corn (I used canned creamed corn.)

Heat oven to 375◦ F. Put egg whites in bowl; beat until stiff. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Put egg yolks in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Place a small amount (approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons) of hot mixture into dish with egg yolk, stir quickly. (The egg is first combined with a little of the hot mixture to prevent it from turning into scrambled eggs when introduced into the hot combination.)  Add egg mixture to the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan; stir. Add the corn and stir. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into an 8″X8″X2″ or similar-sized casserole dish. Bake in oven uncovered until thickens (approximately 25 – 35 minutes.)

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

1925 Sioux Falls Grocery Company Advertisement

Advertisement for Sioux Falls Grocery Company Advertisement
Source – Home Economics and Cook Book: The Daily Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Supplement – March 13, 1925

This hundred-year-old ad appeared in a cookbook that was a supplement to The Daily Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) newspaper. This grocery store advertisement suggests how much has changed (and not changed) over the years. I seldom have unexpected guests who would expect to be fed; and, if I did, I probably won’t serve them canned goods.

I can still buy Del Monte canned goods – though Del Monte may no longer sell salmon or berries. I think that they still sell prunes, but they are no longer sold in a can.

Old-Fashioned Deviled Cheese

Deviled Cheese on crackers

I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Deviled Cheese. It basically was a recipe for hot crackers with a tangy cheese topping. In addition to cheese, the topping contained olive oil, vinegar, ground mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. The zesty topping was tasty. This recipe was easy to make and is a fun twist on more modern ways of serving crackers and cheese.

Here’s the original recipe:

Deviled Cheese Recipe
Source: The Rumford Complete Cook Book, 1925

I spread the cheese topping on the crackers, and then heated in the oven for five minutes.  I did not add any salt or pepper. The cheese and Worcestershire sauce already made this a bit salty and, in my opinion, it did not need pepper.

I didn’t try the toast option, or the option of spreading the topping on hot, toasted crackers. The cheese, oil, and vinegar did not combine very well until they were heated, so I didn’t think that it would work very well without actually heating the topping.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Deviled Cheese

  • Servings: 5 - 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used cheddar cheese.)

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

crackers

Preheat oven to 400◦ F. Put the grated cheese, ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl; stir to combine. Add the olive oil and stir. Then add vinegar and stir until all ingredients are combined. Put crackers on a baking sheet then spread the deviled cheese on top of them. (Do not go quite to the edge.). Put in oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Valentine Wafers

Valentine WafersIn some ways it is hard to believe that it is already February, and time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day. I have warm memories of helping my children prepare valentines to distribute at school and baking heart-shaped cookies, so when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Valentine Wafers, I decided to give them a try.

The Wafers were delightful. Each cookie has half of a candied cherry in the center. A unique feature of the recipe is that it calls for whole wheat flour, so I guess that the cookies are marginally healthier than the typical cut-out cookie.

Here’s the original recipe:

Valentine Wafers

Recipe for Valentine Wafers
Source: American Cookery (February, 1925)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Valentine Wafers

  • Servings: approximately 36 cookies
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1 egg white

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup water

2 cups whole wheat flour

candied cherries, cut into halves (approximately 18 cherries needed; may be more or less depending upon size of cookie cutters)

Preheat oven to 400◦ F.  Put egg white into a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add cream of tartar, baking soda, and vanilla; stir to combine. Then add half the water and half the flour; stir. Add remaining water and flour; stir until thoroughly combined, then fold in the beaten egg white. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour to get it to a good consistency for rolling. Roll out the dough on a prepared surface to 1/4 inch thick; then cut into heart shapes. Place on greased baking sheets. Put half a candied cherry in the center of each heart, and press firmly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com