[Janalyn Voigt] Tasting History

Ever taste history? What if I said that you probably have, and often? Most people don’t recognize when they bite into a sandwich that they are eating an ancient form of food popularized in 1762 by the Earl of Sandwich. A heavy gambler, he asked his cook to bring him a meal to eat without getting up from the gaming table. 

We have a New York chef named George Crum to thank whenever we crunch into a potato chip. One of Crum’s customers complained that the fries were too thick, so Crum made them thinner. When this still wasn’t satisfactory, Crum made an exceedingly thin batch to annoy the pesky customer. It had the opposite effect, and we’ve been eating potato chips ever since.

The pickle that goes so well with a sandwich graces our plates today. Did you know that Indian people in the Tigris Valley also pickled cucumbers to preserve them? The year was in 2030 BC.

Yes, it’s possible to taste history. We do it all the time. -@JanalynVoigt Share on X

One of the joys of writing the Montana Gold series is discovering historical recipes to share in the books. Addie Martin in Hills of Nevermore (Montana Gold, book one) kept her cook-tent customers happy with fare like Bacon Stew. In Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold, book 2), Maisey Wilcox found her way into Rob Walsh’s heart with dishes like dried apple pie. Elsa Meier, heroine of Stagecoach to Liberty (Montana Gold, book 4), won over Con Walsh and his entire family with German delicacies like beehive cake. Would you like to try historical recipes? Join the historical fiction reader club for Janalyn Voigt books. Meanwhile, let’s get on with today’s topic…

A vintage Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book is a prized possession in my house. No, that wasn’t a misspelling. ‘Cooky’ is listed as a variant spelling of ‘cookie’ in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. However, in the 1957 Websters dictionary, ‘cooky’ is the main spelling, with ‘cookie’ the variant. The word for cookie, or cooky if you prefer, evolved from the Dutch ‘koekjes,’ which itself came from ‘koek,’ a root word meaning ‘cake.’ But I digress. (Words always distract me.) 

The aforementioned cookbook was well-used before it fell into my hands. I know this from various spatters enhancing the pages. Those are marks of a family’s history, if you ask me. I never knew there were so many cookies in the world. Scads are featured here, some with fanciful names like cockle shells, love letters, and snow-capped date confections. I’m mystified by others. What exactly are berlinerkranser, zucker hutchen, and fattigmands bakkels? I may never know. This cookbook contains more cookies than I am likely to make.

My favorite section gives Betty Crocker’s most popular cookie of every decade from–get this–the 1880s to the 1960s (the cookbook’s copyright date is 1963). I plan on baking my way forward through this list, taking one decade per month. Can you hear my family’s cheers? You’re welcome to join me in this endeavor. Either way, tune in each month (same day/same blogger) for a new cookie favorite. I’ll tweak the recipes a bit. I, unlike dear Betty, do not love shortening. I’ll base all redactions on authentic recipes from the same eras. Ready to get started?

Betty Crocker’s Most Popular Cookie of the 1880s

Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book states that this treasured morsel originated in Cape Cod, but other authorities give an earlier date and place the origins elsewhere. The truth may never be known. It is certain that many mariners packed canisters of these delights in their sea chests. These cookies were laden with spices from the Indies, fruits, and nuts. They kept for long periods without the need for refrigeration.

Side note: I’m always baffled by references to keeping cookies for long periods. I mean, who are these people who refrain from gulping down a batch of cookies within days?  None of them live in my house, that’s for sure. The recipe makes a lot of cookies, which is good or bad, depending on how you look at it. I suggest either making a half-batch or sharing with a the neighborhood.

Although I usually don’t like cookies with raisins, these are addictive. My husband agrees. I’d refrain from plumping the raisins before baking. Allow them to dehydrate even further while baking, and their chewy sweetness will intensify. I made half the batch with chocolate chips and mixed up which were which.

Want to know the most popular cookie of the 1880’s? It was a spicy little gem called the hermit. No one is quite sure why hermit cookies go by that name. A theory that they were once cut into squares shaped like brown sack-cloth hermit robes seems far-fetched. More likely the name came about because the Moravians, who were well-known for their spice cookies, were called ‘herrnhutters’ by the Germans and Dutch. Whatever their history, I call them delicious.

Hermit Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar (packed) OR substitute 2 cups regular sugar mixed with 2 Tablespoons molasses
2 eggs
½ cup cold coffee
3 ½ cups pastry flour OR substitute all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 ½ cups seeded raisins
1 ¼ cups broken nuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and blend thoroughly. Stir in coffee. (Note: I let a blender do this work.) Combine flour with baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Blend into wet ingredients. Mix in raisins and nuts.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 2” or so apart. Keep in mind that the cookies will spread as they cook. Smaller cookies will have more crunch and are, in my opinion, superior.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until barely any imprint remains after you touch the centers.  Cool on wire racks.

Makes 7 to 8 dozen 2 ½ “ cookies.