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