The “Betty Crocker’s Deluxe Gingerbread With Variations” booklet is part of the long tradition of Betty Crocker cookbooks and promotional materials aimed at home bakers. Betty Crocker, a brand created by General Mills in the 1920s, has been synonymous with home cooking and baking, providing recipes that are both accessible and delicious.
Key Points in the History:
- Origins of Betty Crocker: The Betty Crocker persona was established in 1921 as a way for General Mills to connect with consumers, particularly homemakers. The name quickly became a trusted authority in the kitchen.
- Cookbook Evolution: Over the decades, Betty Crocker released numerous cookbooks and booklets covering a wide range of topics, including baking, desserts, and holiday treats. Gingerbread recipes have been a staple, particularly around the holiday season.
- Deluxe Gingerbread Booklet: The “Deluxe Gingerbread With Variations” booklet likely emerged as part of the brand’s efforts to provide easy-to-follow recipes for festive baking. It typically includes classic gingerbread recipes along with creative variations to cater to different tastes and occasions.
- Cultural Significance: Gingerbread has deep roots in American holiday traditions, making it a fitting focus for a Betty Crocker publication. The booklet reflects a broader cultural appreciation for homemade treats during the holidays.
- Modern Era: Today, Betty Crocker continues to evolve with the times, often incorporating contemporary trends into their recipes while maintaining the charm and nostalgia associated with their brand.
The booklet remains popular among home bakers, cherished for its blend of traditional flavors and inventive ideas. Whether for holiday gatherings or cozy winter baking, it embodies the spirit of home cooking that Betty Crocker promotes.
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DELUXE GINGERBREAD
RECIPE
1⁄2 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg
3/4 cup molasses
2 cups GOLD MEDAL “Kitchen-tested” Flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup thick sour milk (you can substitute with milk)
CREAM THE SHORTENING; add the sugar gradually. Cream thoroughly. Then blend in the well-beaten egg and molasses.
Sift your flour once before measuring. Then sift the flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon together, and add this to the creamed mixture, alternately with the sour milk.
Pour into a well-greased and floured pan, and bake for 50 minutes at a temperature of 325° (a slow, moderate oven) . . . Use an 8-inch square pan, 21/2 inches deep.
Serve plain or with any of the 4 toppings below:-
Apple Nut Whip
Makes a lovely dessert… Beat up 1 egg white until it will hold a point. Then, gradually beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Now fold in 1/2 cup cream whipped until stiff (1⁄2 cup whipping cream makes more than 11⁄2 cup whipped cream)… Fold in grated apple (using 2 tart apples), and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Chill and serve on hot gingerbread. Makes eight servings.
Fruit or Berry Kuchen
A treasure from across the sea. Juicy fruit or berries baked right on top of a “quick” coffee cake. With a crusty coating over the fruit to lend it a distinctive flavor. For afternoon coffee parties, or as an unusual dessert for a cozy supper.
2 cups GOLD MEDAL “Kitchen-tested” Flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
4 tbsp. shortening
1 egg 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
SIFT THE FLOUR once before measuring. Then sift flour, salt and baking powder together. And cut in shortening with 2 knives or a pastry blender until finely blended. Then blend in the well-beaten egg and the milk. Pat the dough into a well-greased baking pan- push- ing the dough up around the edges of the pan.
Then arrange the fruit or berries (see below) over the top of dough. (Cover with sugar “to taste” if fresh fruit or berries are used.) Pour egg mixture (see below) over fruit or berries. Dot with butter, and bake 35 to 40 minutes in a moderate oven (350°). Use a deep 8-inch square pan.
Fruit or Berry Topping
Use 2 cups of sliced fresh or well-drained canned fruit (peaches, plums, apples, etc.) or ber- ries.
1 egg 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup brown sugar (if fresh fruit or berries are used) Cinnamon, if desired
Egg Mixture for Top
1/2 cup sugar 1 tbsp. cornstarch 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Beat the egg slightly. Then blend in the salt, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour this over the fruit or berries, after the latter are on the dough (see above).
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TO MAKE MY Devils Fun”
2 thin 8-inch layers
2 sq. chocolate (2 oz.)
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour milk
7/8 cup GOLD MEDAL Flour
1⁄2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
USE:
2 thick 8-inch or 3 thin 8-inch layers
3 sq. chocolate (3 oz.)
3/8 cup shortening (6 tbsp.)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/8 cups Kitchen-tested” Flour
3/8 cup sour milk (6 tbsp.)
3/4 tsp. soda
3/8 tsp. Salt
2 small eggs
PLACE CHOCOLATE (cut in small pieces) and shortening in mixing bowl, and pour the boiling water over them. Stir to dissolve completely. Then stir in sugar and sour milk. Sift flour once before measuring. Sift flour, soda and salt together and add all-at-once to mixture in the mixing bowl. Stir just enough to blend the ingredients.
Add a whole egg (unbeaten) to the mixture, and beat the mixture with a spoon until smooth (beat 1 to 2 minutes). Pour into well-greased-and-floured layer cake pans, and bake. When cool, spread the cooled chocolate filling thickly between the layers and the double boiler icing over the top and sides of cake.
Bake for about 25 minutes for a cake with thin layers- 30 minutes for a thick-layered cake.
Temperature -350° (moderate oven). Size of Pan – Use 2 or 3 round 8-inch layer pans, depending on whether you are making a two or a three layer cake…. grease the pans well. Remove the layers gently from the pans as they are very delicate.
CHOCOLATE FILLING
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 sq. chocolate (1 oz.)
2 tbsp. GOLD MEDAL “Kitchen-tested” Flour
Place egg yolk in top of double boiler. Beat slightly. Mix sugar, salt and flour together. Blend with egg yolk. Blend in the milk. Stir in chocolate (cut in small pieces). Cook over hot water 20 minutes, stirring constantly till thick- and then only occasionally. Cool-this makes a generous amount for a 2-layer cake or barely enough for a 3-layer cake. For the latter we recommend doubling the amount of filling.
DOUBLE-BOILER ICING
1 large egg white
3/4 cup sugar
1⁄8 tsp. cream of tartar
3 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Combine the egg white, sugar, cream of tartar and water in the top of a double boiler. Beat together just enough to blend these ingredients. Place over rapidly boiling water and beat with a rotary beater until the mixture is white and very light. The icing is done when it barely holds its shape and is not runny when beater is pulled out. This takes 5 to 7 minutes – depending on size of boiler and vigor of your beating.
Then remove from over hot water, and stop beating. Fold in the flavoring. … Makes enough frosting for a 2-layer cake. For a 3-layer cake, double the recipe.
TOFFEE NUT BARS
… are something different in a “layer” cooky. They’re shortbread and brown sugar and cocoanut filling, combined. Fine for picnics, after- noon teas, or as an accompaniment to a simple home dessert. Often called “Dream Bars.”
BOTTOM LAYER
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup GOLD MEDAL “Kitchen-tested” Flour
Cream the butter, add brown sugar gradually, cream thoroughly. Then sift flour once before measuring. Then add the flour to the creamed mixture and work it into a dough with the hands.
Pat into the bottom of an ungreased baking pan, and bake for 10 minutes in a moderate oven (350°). Use a 9-inch square pan.
TOP LAYER
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. GOLD MEDAL “Kitchen-tested” Flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cocoanut
1 cup chopped nuts (preferably toasted almonds)
Beat the eggs until light, then stir in the brown sugar and mix thoroughly. Blend in the vanilla.
Now sift the flour once before measuring. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and stir into the brown sugar mixture. Beat until smooth.
Then blend in the cocoanut and chopped nuts.
Spread evenly over the slightly cooled, baked bottom layer in the baking pan, and bake for 25 minutes, in a moderate oven (350°). Makes 27 bars (1 inch by 3 inches).
When slightly cool, cut into the bars.