1950's Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Desserts

Last updated on January 13th, 2025

Here are a few vintage recipe clips from the book “Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cook Book” published in 1959. This book includes recipes organized by holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, buffets, and parties.

Vintage Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Vintage Christmas Cookies

Springerle – a traditional German cookie, known for its anise flavor and stamped designs.

Cooky Tarts (Sandbakelser) – a traditional Scandinavian cookie with a small tart-like shape and hollow center that can be filled with jam, fruit preserves, or marzipan. They are commonly baked in special sandbakkel molds.

Rainbow Wreaths (Berliner kranser) – colorful cookies in a wreath shape decorated with vibrant icing in various colors to resemble a rainbow.

Bowknots (fattigmann) – are a traditional Norwegian cookie typically deep-fried and made from a rich dough flavored with spices. They are made in bow or knot shape, made by twisting the dough before frying.

Rosette Cookies – a delicate, deep-fried cookie that resembles lace patterns. They are made by dipping a special rosette iron into batter, frying it until golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar.

Spritz – a traditional Italian cookie known for their distinctive shape and buttery flavor. They are typically made using a cookie press to create various decorative shapes.

Krumkaka – a Norwegian and Scandinavian cookie made with a batter cooked on a griddle to give a thin, crisp texture. Once cooked, they are rolled around a cone-shaped mold to create a delicate spiral shape, dusted with powdered sugar and filled with whipped cream or other sweet fillings.

Swedish German Cookies (Pepparkakor) – are a Swedish gingerbread which translates to “pepper cookies.” They are a thin, crisp cookie with a deep, spiced flavor of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and sometimes cardamom that are shaped into hearts or stars and decorated.

Noel Fruit Cookies (Lebkuchen) – a traditional German spiced gingerbread cookie, typically made using a combination of honey, sugar, spices (such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg), and often candied fruits or nuts.

Gumdrop Cookies – are a classic American cookie, that feature colorful gumdrops (candied fruit pieces).

Sugar Cookies – are a classic American cookie, with a buttery, sweet flavor, soft yet crisp texture rolled out and cut into shapes or simply dropped by spoonfuls onto baking sheets.

Coconut Balls – a typically small, bite-sized treat made from coconut and sweetened condensed milk, rolled into balls and then coated with additional desiccated coconut.

Holly Hermits – a holiday cookie known for their rich, spiced flavor and often include dried fruits, nuts, and warm spices.