Old-Time Brand-Name Desserts

Recipes, Illustrations, and Advice from the Recipe Pamphlets of America's Most Trusted Food Makers

by Bunny Crumpacker (Smithmark)

One woman's junk is another woman's treasure—or make that feast. When cookbook author Bunny Crumpacker started her collection of recipe pamphlets, she discovered most of them in junk shops. Now she has more than 500 that include recipes from 1875-1950.

The first gem that emerged from Crumpacker's collection was her best-selling Old-Time Brand-Name Cookbook. It featured Crumpacker's favorite recipes from the pamphlets.

She's back this time rolling a delicious antique dessert cart featuring the best meal endings her collection has to offer. Chapters cover cakes, cookies, pies, puddings, frozen desserts, fruit desserts, frostings and sauces. There is much more variety than in most modern cookbooks.

Banana upside-down cake (Bananas in the Modern Manner, Banana Growers Association, 1930) is easy to prepare, gets additional flavor from lemon extract and makes an impressive party dessert. Blueberry drop cookies (Rumford Everyday Cook Book for the Housekeeper and Student, Rumford Baking Powder Co., circa 1900) incorporate a cup of fresh blueberries into the batter that gives the resulting cookies pizzazz. Apple custard (Davis Cook Book, Davis Baking Powder Co., circa 1905) tempts with the tang of Granny Smith apples. Golden glow mystery cake (Royal Cook Book, Standard Brands Co., 1930) is an orange extract–enhanced yellow cake that's finished with orange frosting and orange whipped cream.

You'll find a lot more to feast on in this book than the fun and tasty recipes. The volume includes lots of colorful drawings and photographs from the pamphlets. Crumpacker includes a comprehensive history chapter and the recipe introductions throughout the book are informative and lively.