Vintage Recipe: Peanut Cookies

Welcome to the "Twelve Days of Cookies" Special. For the first twelve days in December, a new cookie recipe will be featured to help fill your cookie tins this season. On the Third Day of Cookies, my true love sent to me: Three Vintage Peanut Cookies.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy and quick to make
• 8 wholesome ingredients
• Delicious peanut butter flavor
• Experience the past

Vintage World War II Recipe

Back in September of 2023, I talked about one of my vintage finds: The Victory Binding of the American Woman’s Cook Book, Wartime Edition. This gem of a book was published in the early 1940s in order to provide households with culinary resources to help sustain families during World War II.

One of the recipes featured is this Peanut Cookie recipe. It is a simple recipe that produces soft, fluffy cookies that are not too sweet. Personally, I do not love peanut anything. However, these cookies are pleasant with a subtle peanut flavor and a combined fluffy and crunchy texture.

Uses Shortening Instead of Butter

During the 1940s, there were various factors that contributed to the widespread use of shortening in baking, particularly in the United States. These factors were influenced by economic, cultural, and historical circumstances. By 1939, the Great Depression had ended, and World War II had begun. Butter, being a dairy product, was relatively more expensive than shortening, which was a vegetable-based fat. Shortening provided a cost-effective alternative for baking during a time when many households were budget-conscious.

There were also rationing programs in place to ensure that essential goods were available for the war effort. Butter was one of the rationed items, and people had limited access to it. Shortening, being a vegetable-based product, was more readily available and not subject to the same level of rationing.

As an added bonus, shortening has a longer shelf life compared to butter. This made it a practical choice for households, as it could be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration. There was also the added benefit of providing stability in baking and producing consistent and reliable results. It contributed to a softer texture in baked goods, which was desirable in many recipes. During this time, Crisco was the brand to use.

Honestly, I do not use shortening often, preferring the taste of butter, but I do have to admit that shortening does improve the texture of baked goods, making them fluffier and flakier. You can also use vegan butter as shortening. They are virtually the same thing, except vegan butter typically needs to be refrigerated.

Chopped Peanuts

Roughly chop the peanuts and use them in the batter and as the topping for the cookies. We used unsalted peanuts.

More Recipes Like This

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Special Tools and Equipment

References

Berolzheimer, R., (1942). The Victory Binding of the American Woman’s Cookbook. Consolidated Book Publishes, Inc., Chicago Illinois.

Did you give this recipe a try? If so, please tell us how it went in the comments below!