Helen's Fruit Cookies

Nothing like an old fashioned cookie to make one nostalgic. This recipe is written out exactly as it was in Helen's cook book.

Helen's Fruit Cookies

1 pkg. mince meat
1 1/4 cups water, stew till thick.
Cream 1 1/2 cups sugar with 3/4 cups melted shortening *(cooled). Add 1 beaten egg and 1 scant tsp. salt. Dissolve 1.2 tsp. soda in cooled mince meat. Put 1 tsp. baking powder in 3 1/2 cups flour sifted. Blend all ingredients together thoroughly and drop from spoon on buttered tin. Bake 8-10 minutes in hot oven.*
*Bake at 400 degrees.
*You could replace the shortening with butter to make them healthier.

Helen's Walnut Ice Cream Cookies

Do not let these cookies decieve you by their name. They do not have ice cream in them, but they were made to be eaten with ice cream, most likely vanilla. These cookies would have been small and would have been a nice accompaniment to a scoop of ice cream for dessert.

Helen's Walnut Ice Cream Cookies

1/2 cup butter*
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add and vanilla and beat well. Sift flour and salt and blend into mixture. Stir in walnuts. Drop by tsp. onto cookie sheet*. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
*Use room temperature butter
*Lightly grease the cookie sheet before baking.
*These cookies were traditionally served with ice cream, hence the name.

Helen's Ice Box Rolls

These are very easy rolls to make as there is no kneading involved. I love a good roll with dinner.

Helen's Ice Box Rolls

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
3Tbls. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 cake yeast*
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour

Scald milk. Pour over sugar, salt, and btter in mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm. add yeast softened in warm water, beaten egg; add about 1/2 flour. Beat thoroughly. Add remaining flour. Mix well. Grease top of dough slightly. Cover with waxed paper and towel. Store in ice box* until needed. About 2 1/2 hours before baking take from ice box and shape into rolls. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 2 hours). Bake in moderately hot oven (375 degrees). Recipe can be doubled with success.
*The ice box would be the same as a refrigerator today.
*You can replace the cake yeast with one envelope active dry yeast.

Helen's Chocolate Pudding

The picture above is what is known as a steam cover or pan that would be used to make a steamed pudding. Helen would have used something similar to the one pictured here to make this pudding. When we think of pudding we think of the creamy concoctions made with milk, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and flavorings, but several decades ago a pudding was a steamed bread like the one written out here.

Helen's Chocolate Pudding

3 Tbls. butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
4 tsps. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/2 squares chocolate*
2 1/4 cups flour

Melt chocolate over hot water. Cream butter with sugar. add egg; beat thoroughly. Sift flour, measure and sift with baking powder and salt. Add alternately with milk to first mixture. Add chocolate. Pour into well-buttered miold cover. Steam for 30 minutes. Serve with any desired sauce.
*The chocolate would be unsweetened chocolate such as Baker's.

Helen's Christmas Pudding

Here is another steamed pudding that was made special for Christmas, though this one does not contain prunes,  it does contain other dried fruits commonly used at Christmas.

Helen's Christmas Pudding

1 cup ground suet*
1 cup molasses
1 cup milk
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup finely chopped citron

Combine suet, molasses, and milk. Sift flour, measure, reserve 1/4 cup for dredging fruits. Sift remainder of flour with salt, spices, cream of tartar, and soda. Combine with first mixture. Add dredged fruits. Mix thoroughly. Fill well-oiled one pound cans 2/3 full. Cover. Steam 3 hours.
Grind suet in a meat grinder or food processor. Do not substitute other fats for the suet.

Helen's Prune Pudding

Here is a cooked version of Prune Pudding. Prune Pudding used to be a very popular dessert. It still is in some quarters where women continue to make this traditional food.

Helen's Prune Pudding

1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup flour
1 cup ground suet*
1 cup sugar
1 cup thick prune pulp
3 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 cup milk

Sift flour, measure, then sift with salt, spices, and baking powder. Prepare prune pulp by rubbing cooked prunes through a sieve. Combine pulp, suet, crumbs, sugar, milk, and eggs. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into well-oiled 1 pound cans. Cover. Steam 2 hours. Serve with hard sauce. Serves 8.
*Suet is beef fat that can be purchased at most grocery stores in the meat case. Grind the suet in a meat grinder or a food processor. Do not substitute other fats for the suet.

Helen's Uncooked Plum Pudding

This might be something you'd want to make for the holidays, particularly Christmas when this dish would be most popular. If I was to make this dish I would omit the citron.

Helen's Uncooked Plum Pudding

1 cup cooked prunes
1 cup Grapenuts or rolled graham crackers*
2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbls. gelatin*
2 Tbls. corn syrup
4 Tbls. fruit juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped citron
1 Tbls. lemon juice*
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten*
1 cup raisins

Soften gelatin in cold water. Dissolve in boiling water. Add all ingredients except egg whites. Mix thoroughly, then chill until partially set. Fold in egg whites. Pour into long shallow pan. Chill until firm. Cut in squares with sharp knife. Serve with whipped cream. Serves 8.
*Rolled graham crackers are merely crackers crushed and rolled with a rolling pin. You can use the blender.
*This would be non-flavored gelatin like Knox brand.
*Use a real lemon that you have reamed for juice.
*Since these are uncooked egg whites, use eggs from a trusted farmer so you will greatly lessen your chances of contracting salmonella from factory-farmed eggs.