It’s Christmas candy season. Here are a few to try from the December 1935 Montgomery Advertising page.
peanut brittle
First, I’ve been eating peanut brittle for as long as I can remember. I didn’t expect the recipe to be this easy.
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup roasted peanuts, shelled
Sprinkle a light layer of sugar on the bottom of the pan. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, preferably with a wooden spoon, until a straw-colored liquid forms. Add the nuts and pour into the buttered pan. When cool and brittle, break into squares.
Please note that the latest recipe for this is a little more complicated. It often involves corn syrup and water mixed with sugar and coked on the stove at 250 degrees. Then add the peanuts to the pot and simmer until it reaches 300 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, butter, and baking soda. The rest, as you know, is poured onto a sheet, allowed to cool and solidify, then crumbled and eaten.
Be very careful with either version of this recipe. Hot liquids may splash or spill.
chocolate indian
I did a little searching to find out where the “Indian” part of this candy’s name came from, but couldn’t find anything. The final piece does not end up looking like a Native American, nor does it end up looking like a human. If anyone knows why there is Indian in the name, please write and tell me.
- 1/3 cup fat (yes, the 1935 recipe calls for fat; you could probably substitute butter)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 pieces melted chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Cream the fat and sugar together. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 2 minutes. Pour into a shallow pan lined with wax paper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Once cooled, cut into thin strips.
chocolate fudge roll
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 square chocolates
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup nuts
Bring milk, sugar, chocolate, and butter to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Test this by dropping a small amount into cold water and a ball should form. Remove the mixture from the stove and let it cool for 30 minutes without stirring. Then add the vanilla and mix the mixture until it is thick and creamy. From here you should be able to lift it out of the boiler by hand. Knead it into 2-inch rolls and sprinkle with nuts. Push the nut into the surface. Wrap the chocolate fudge rolls in wax paper and store in a sealed box. When ready to eat, slice thinly.
fig square
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup chopped figs
- 1/2 cup chopped Brazil nuts
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture into a shallow oiled saucepan. It says to bake in a “moderately slow oven” for 25 minutes. I think it’s about 350 degrees. When finished, cut into 1cm squares. Once the squares have cooled, sprinkle them with sugar. Store in a closed box.
I tried it
If you decide to try any of these lost recipes, please send us a photo and a note about how it turned out. Send an email to Montgomery advertising reporter Shannon Heupel with the title “Lost Recipe.” in sheupel@gannett.com.