Table of contents
The American Woman’s Cook Book (1942), is a beloved classic cookbook that guides home cooks with recipes from hearty entrees and side dishes to food preservation, baked goods, and more! This vintage cookbook, compiled by Ruth Berolzheimer and published by the Culinary Arts Institute, helps home cooks preserve culinary practices of the 1940’s with simple, scratch-made food. This book quickly became a household staple, cherished for its clear instructions, tips, and reliable recipes.
This cookbook was passed down to me from my Nana. She gave me this cookbook and said “my dream for you is to someday open your own bakery and here is some inspiration to guide you along” (tears welling as I write this). I’ve now owned my own specialty bakery for the last 12+ years. I was lucky she was able to see my open it before she passed a few years ago.
Here are some original vintage recipe clips for cookies, cakes, frosting, and waffles.
Soft Molasses Cookies Recipe Remake
Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies blend warm spices and spicy molasses and yield a soft tender, cake-like texture from the buttermilk. My vintage inspiration for this recipe is passed down from my Nana, from an original recipe for soft molasses cookies. I’ve included one of my favorite original recipes for soft molasses cookies that has my Nan’s handwritten note: “Excellent” with her initials.
Cakes & Frosting
Lady Baltimore Cake Recipe
Waffles
F
Related Recipes
Vintage Cookie Recipes
Cookbooks
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!
Follow us on social
As an Amazon Associate, I may include affiliate links to recommend products I like to use or suggest and may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see my full disclosure for more details.
This post includes original cookbook images and text excerpts shared for educational and historical purposes. All rights belong to the original publisher. Any commentary, notes, or recipe adaptations are my own and reflect my professional baking experience in a commercial kitchen. I am not a licensed medical professional and do not provide medical advice.
All modern recipe adaptations and photography © 2025 Vintage Baked Modern LLC. Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.
