I recently found a hundred-year-old recipe for Mignons, and decided to give it a try. Mignons are almond cut-out cookies. The cookie dough contains ground almonds, as well as a little cinnamon; and, there are chopped almonds on the top of the cookies.

The name of these cookies seemed a bit confusing to me. I wasn’t sure what “mignon” meant, but kept thinking of Filet Mignon, so looked up the definition of “mignon.” According to Dictionary.com, mignon means “small and pretty; delicately pretty.” It’s an apt description of these cookies. They are visually appealing, light, and tender cookies.

The Mignons had a lovely almond flavor, with just a hint of cinnamon. They would be perfect with a cup of coffee, or on a holiday cookie tray.

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

 

I came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Nut Molasses Bars and decided to give it a try.

The cookies are a cross between cutout cookies and modern bar cookies. The dough is rolled out, then cut into bars, and topped with coconut and walnuts. They were tasty with just the right amount of spices and molasses.

Here is the original recipe:

English walnuts are just the usual walnuts that are sold commercially. Unless walnuts are specifically labeled as black walnuts, they are English walnuts.

If the butter is softened before making this recipe, the water does not need to be boiling.

The cookie dough was extremely dry, so I added additional water to make it rollable.

I had trouble with the coconut and walnuts not adhering to the bars. To help make the topping stay put, I revised the recipe to say that the rolled cookie dough should be brushed with beaten egg white before the coconut and walnuts are sprinkled on it.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

In 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:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

When I was a child, I remember making Caraway Cookies to put on holiday cookie trays, but I had not had any in years; so when I came across a recipe for them in a hundred-year-old cookbook I decided to give it a try.

The Caraway Cookies were simple to make, and they turned out well. They have an old-fashioned goodness, and the warm, earthy flavor of the caraway seeds was delightful. They are not nearly as sweet as many modern cookies, and can nicely balance some of the other sweets on a cookie tray. They are also very nice with coffee, tea, or milk.

Here’s the original recipe:

When I made this recipe, the dough was very sticky, so I added additional flour to make the dough a better consistency for rolling. I used butter rather than a butter substitute.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

When our son recently visited, his flight arrived late at night – and I wanted to make a bedtime snack for him. I saw a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies in a hundred-year-old cookbook – and decided they might fit the bill.

These classic cookies were easy to make and very tasty. They have a hint of cinnamon, and are soft and chewy.

Here’s the original recipe:

I used brown sugar when I made the recipe. It’s intriguing that the recipe specifies “sweet milk” which I think is just regular milk. A hundred-years-ago many families still lived on farms and drank milk that was not pasteurized; and, even in towns, much of the milk that was sold was not pasteurized. Back then, if the non-pasteurized milk was not used quickly, the “good” bacteria in the milk would turn it into a sour milk suitable for use in recipes. I would think that if a recipe just said “milk” that cooks would know that it was just calling for regular milk and not for sour milk, but apparently the cookbook author thought that it was important to clarify.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

 

Sometimes old recipes have really fun, descriptive names. When I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-year old cookbook for “Cry Baby” cookies, I just knew that I needed to give it a try.

The cookies are an old-fashioned drop cookie with molasses and spices – and lots of raisins and nuts. They were lovely – and I can see why children would “cry” for them. These cookies would be a perfect addition to a child’s (or adult’s) packed lunch.

Here’s the original recipe:

This recipe makes a lot of cookies – probably about 100 cookies. Most modern cookie recipes don’t make that many cookies, so I updated the recipe to make 1/2 of the old recipe.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

 

It’s the time of year to make cookies, so I was excited to try a hundred-year-old recipe for Nut Cookies. The cookies are made using egg whites that are stiffly beaten, which results in crispy, light cookies. They have a delightful texture and taste, however, I found them a bit challenging to make. When I made this recipe I used nonstick baking sheets, and had trouble with the cookies sticking to them. I am not sure why.

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks: