Tried my great aunt's depression era cookie recipe and got a surprising result

My great aunt used to make these cookies during the 1930s with basically nothing but lard, molasses, and oatmeal. She always wrote the recipe on a scrap of paper with no oven temp or time. I finally gave it a shot last Sunday using her exact instructions. The dough was so dry I thought I messed up something major. But after 12 minutes at 350 they came out chewy and almost like a soft granola bar. I learned that old recipes like that relied on feel more than exact measurements. Has anyone else tried a vintage recipe that looked wrong but turned out perfect?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_allen481mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that's awesome! My grandma had a similar thing with her molasses bread - the instructions were just "flour until it feels right" and it drove me crazy until I tried it. Turned out perfect every time, just like you said with those cookies.

tara_palmer1mo ago

Isn't that how all the best recipes secretly work though?

robinson.holly1mo ago

I dunno @tara_palmer, sometimes you just need a clear list. Too much guesswork stresses me out.