Wednesday, October 28, 2009

VTT - Chocolate Candy Bars & Cookies



The first picture may look like one of large and miniature Hershey's chocolate bars, but the large "bars" are actually postcards. I bought these postcards from Hershey's in 1980. The miniatures are from the bag of Halloween candy I bought this week. The three cards on the left are 3-1/2" X 6"; the three on the right are 3" X 6".

There have been some changes in Hershey's products and packaging since these postcards were made.
The Krackel brand is only available now as one of the four varieties in the Miniatures assortment--it is no longer available as a regular size bar. Some of the brands that are labeled "milk chocolate" on the postcards can now only be labeled "chocolate" instead of milk chocolate because cocoa butter was replaced in the formula with cheaper substitutes.

From about 1909 to 1918, during the years of the postcard craze, Hershey's made at least 88 different specially sized postcards that were included in Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar packages. The postcards included images of the chocolate factory, dairy farms, and town attractions. These are described on a Hershey blog post "Wish You Were Here. . ." Additional images of Hershey's postcards are on Flickr.




The Baby Ruth ad is from a 1952 American Family magazine. According to the ad, there was a cookie recipe on every wrapper. There are a number of sources for the Baby Ruth Cookie recipe on the Internet. Apparently they are quite messy to make. If I were going to make them, I would take the extra precautions of chilling the dough and preventing sticking such as those in the slightly modified Baby Ruth Cookie recipe from the Baltimore Sun at Bakespace.

Hershey's chocolate bars can also be used in cookies. I found the following recipe for Chocolate Bar Surprise Cookies on the Trick or Treats section of the Hershey's website.

Chocolate Bar Surprise Cookies

Ingredients

  • Any combination chopped HERSHEY'S and REESE'S candy bars to make 2 cups
  • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies. Cut each candy into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in candy pieces and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.


Vintage Thingies Thursdays

23 comments:

  1. So glad I came by. Great post but you always have a great post. Time seems to get away from me lately. I miss joining the fun! It's not that I don't have something to post about either! LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I guess you've been collecting postcards for a while. These look pristine. So bright and colorful. Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My goodness, those postcards sure do look like the real thing! And I had no idea about postcards being included in bars. Such a yummy history lesson today!
    Happy VTT!
    Carol

    ReplyDelete
  4. WOW i love those Hershey postcards & that magazine ad is a beauty too!..thanks for the recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think Hersheys is the best chocolate even if they did change the recipe. Those cards look like the real thing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thought I was done with the Halloween candy tonight, but then I came upon your post. Hmmmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great information! Those postcards did look like the real deal.
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  8. I thought those were real candybars! Now I'm hungry.....think I'll go raid the Halloween candy :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, yum! Thanks for the recipe!! A great idea to make when you can stock up of hallowen candy at a super cheap prices! thanks!

    Have a great VTT!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yum, chocolate! The postcards look just like candy bars.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a creative post! So cool that you found postcards like this!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow I love these Hershey post cards! What a great part of your collection. We collect post cards, but they are from different states and countries. We started when the children were little. It's been fun to ask friends who are traveling if they will send back post cards. The only one that never made it was one from Hawaii, when my girlfriend vacationed there.
    Jocelyn
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Like someone else said - you always have great posts :)

    Id totally love that recipe - if i wasnt dieting lol

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wonderful cards and great information as always. I always learn something new when I visit you! Thanks for the recipe, I may have to give that one a try. Have a great VTT! and a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love learning all of this. I had no idea there was a cookie recipe on every wrapper. Great information and pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  17. so cool, anything candy bar related gets my approval!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mmmm yum those cookies sound dangerously good!Thanks[not] for the recipe temptation!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love that you have provided us with so much info!! Not a big chocolate fan but might have to look into making those cookies for our yearly Halloween gathering!

    Thanks!

    heehee my word verification word is "munch!" How appropriate!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm with Kathy & BeachlLike. I'm hungry.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Amazing, the candybar postcards! I'm glad to have found your blog and will visit again often. :)

    ReplyDelete