SNOW WHITE'S MINT FROSTED CHOCOLATE COOKIES: Vintage Cookbook recipe

I collect vintage cookbooks, and Walt Disney's Snow White Dairy Recipe Book, published in 1955, by Walt Disney in association with the American Dairy Association, is certainly vintage. I loved Walt Disney's animated Snow White. I saw the original several times. I even have two sets of the concrete Disney 7 dwarfs in my garden, one set in color, that I found at flea markets and garage sales. So from the Snow White Cookbook, here's a great recipe from Snow White for Mint Frosted Chocolate Cookies to feed her 'hungry men'.

SNOW WHITE'S MINT FROSTED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

This recipe calls for tinting the frosting a pale green. If you do this, use an organic coloring.

TRIPLE BANANA SPLIT: National Banana Split Day!

Today is National Banana Split Day, and everyone knows a good banana split needs a good Hot Dark Chocolate Sauce. Following is a great recipe for an easy Dark Chocolate Sauce.

The Birth of the Banana Split like so many food creations doesn't have a clear invention story. Latrobe, PA claims that the banana split was invented by Dr. David Strickler, who in 1904 was a 23 year-old working at Tassell Pharmacy. This sundae originally cost 10 cents, twice the cost of other sundaes. Dave Strickler, a pharmacist and optician, purchased the pharmacy which was renamed "Stricklers." His banana splits were a big hit with the students from nearby Saint Vincent College and the word spread. According to his daughter, her dad "was always the great experimenter," and he even originated the first banana split dish: "There were no dishes for such a concoction, so he drew up his own," and a company in nearby Grapeville produced it.

The banana split was also showcased at the Boston convention of the National Association of Retail Druggists in 1905. Stinson Thomas, chief dispenser at Butler's Department Store in Boston promoted the banana split there. According to an article about the convention in The Soda Fountain magazine, "among all the beverages dispensed here, none was more novel with the ladies than the banana split." The magazine also quotes Mr. Thomas: "My trade here is always looking for something new and so, one day it occurred to me that I might prepare a popular fountain beverage with a banana. I sent my boy out to buy half a dozen bananas, and when he returned I cut off the ends of a banana, split it open, put a portion of ice cream on top and a spoonful of crushed strawberries. It certainly looked swell, and I believed that the public would like it. As with most new creations though, there was some trial and error. At first we left the peel on the banana in the plate, but some time ago we began removing it altogether. We found that the ladies preferred to have the peel removed."

Banana Split

"Split" Bananas (with peel on) lengthwise. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on the cut sides of bananas. Let sit for several minutes. Grill bananas cut side down on direct heat for 2 minutes. Turn (with tongs) and cook 5 more minutes. Remove skins. Put bananas in bowl. Add vanilla ice cream. Pour Hot Dark Chocolate Sauce over. Sprinkle with nuts and add whipped cream--with a cherry on top?

Hot Dark Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
8 ounces Dark chocolate - 65-75% cacao, chopped
2 Tbsp superfine sugar
1/8 cup Kahlua
1/2 tsp pure vanilla

Directions
Heat cream in small saucepan until almost boiling.
Add butter and sugar. Stir to combine.
Remove from heat and pour over chocolate.
Whisk until melted and combined.
Add Kahlua and vanilla. Stir until cool to touch.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside or refrigerate.

Illustration: Triple Banana Split Boy, written by Lucha Corpi. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. (Arte Publico Press)

Peach Pie with Chocolate Crust: National Peach Pie Day!

The other day was National Eat a Peach Day, this month is Peach Month, and today is National Peach Pie Day. Lucky for me there are so many varieties of fresh peaches at the Farmers Market.

So today in honor of the holiday (s), I'm making a Chocolate Peach Pie. I've found that adding chocolate to the peach filling is way too sweet and gooey for me, so I'm keeping it simple. The chocolate in the following recipe is a traditional chocolate cookie crust made with chocolate wafers. BTW: Nabisco no longer makes Famous Chocolate Wafers, but there are all kinds of substitutes. Check your market or check online. 

This peach pie is best served chilled, but there are plenty of other recipes out there for a warm peach pie, if you prefer.

PEACH PIE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST

CHOCOLATE CRUST 

As I mentioned above, you'll need to look for chocolate wafers (Trader Joe's or other markets or online), or buy chocolate crumbs online. So sad that Nabisco no longer makes it Famous Chocolate Wafers. 

Ingredients
2 cups chocolate wafers
6 Tbsp unsalted butter (or salted if you're inclined)

Directions
Melt butter.
Put chocolate wafers in plastic bag and crush with spoon or rolling pin. Should be pea-size.
Combine melted butter and ground chocolate wafers.
Press ingredients into 9 inch buttered pie pan--bottom and up the sides.
Bake for 10 minutes at 325. Let cool.

FRESH PEACH FILLING

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Peeled Fresh Peach halves (pitted)
1/2 pint heavy cream

Directions
Mix sugar and cornstarch.
Cover inside of chocolate cookie crust with 3/4 of mixture. Go out to sides.
Arrange peeled peach halves around outside edge (insides of peaches up).
Fill in with other peaches until full.
Sprinkle rest of mixture over peaches.
Put cream inside each peach center.
Bake at 325 for about 30-40 minutes.
Chill and serve.

Creamy Fudge: Retro Ad with Recipe

I love Retro Ads with Recipes, and there are a lot of chocolate ones out there. These ads usually appeared in "women's magazines." Here's a simple easy recipe for Creamy Fudge. Enjoy!