**Please Note – The printable recipe card with detailed instructions and complete ingredient measurements for making 1930’s Vintage Rocks Cookies is available near the end of this post.
The ingredient list for making 1930’s Vintage Rocks Cookies;
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- raisins
- walnuts
Here is one of my original photos from 2011. I think that you’ll agree, it wasn’t the best, but at the time I thought I was “rockin’ it!” LOL! Pun intended!
And this is what I wrote about these 1930’s Vintage Rocks Cookies back in 2011 –
A while ago a dear twitter friend of mine, Michele of Funky Chunks Soap, sent me a fabulous vintage cookbook from her collection after she’d heard that I was starting my own vintage cookbook collection. It was such a kind gesture that I sincerely hope she understands what her surprise gift in the mail meant to me.
Upon paging through the book, I ran across a small, warn slip of paper with a handwritten recipe that simply said “Rocks”. The directions were sparse as were the list of ingredients. I immediately knew I had to make these cookies as my tribute to this unknown woman whose spirit is now welcomed into my kitchen with open arms and our shared love of baking.
I’m going to assume that my new/old found friend is Ruth B. Maxwell of Miniwa, Ohio and this cookbook had been lovingly given to her by Grandma Leyda. It’s hard to see these names as they’re written in faint pencil on the inside cover of the book, but they’re there.
Since I decided to make this vintage recipe for THE GREAT FOOD BLOGGER COOKIE SWAP (#fbcookieswap)…
I felt it only appropriate that I did it the old-fashioned way so I opted to use a large bowl and a wooden spoon instead of my modern Kitchenaid mixer. I think Ruth and Grandma Leyda would have been pleased.
Having a decent knowledge of cookie baking, the fact that the recipe seemed to be missing a considerable amount of directions wasn’t a deterrent for me at all so I forged ahead.
The only thing I did change however to the list of ingredients (if you know me, then you know I can’t be stopped even if it means messing with history). To the original recipe, I added a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Is it so wrong?
Want to know the health benefits of walnuts? Check out this article at Healthy Line.
Below is the printable recipe card for today’s 1930’s Vintage Rocks Cookies.
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d appreciate if you’d take a moment to give this recipe some feedback by way of stars near the comment section at the end of this post. Thank you.
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts
-
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
-
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and the brown sugar.
-
Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture and stir to combine.
-
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon to the mixing bowl and stir well to incorporate all the ingredients.
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Add the walnuts and raisins and mix well.
-
Drop the batter by tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake in a preheated oven for 15-17 minutes.
-
Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Tools and equipment;
large bowl, wooden spoon, OR stand mixer or hand mixer, baking sheets, parchment paper (optional), measuring cups, measuring spoons.
Back to 2011 –
Now that the cookies are baked and the photos are taken, it’s time to ship 3 dozen (1 dozen each) of these lovely little cookies to 3 other food bloggers all around the country which is what The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap #FBCookieSwap is all about! How fun is that? With careful packaging, my (Ruth’s) cookies were sent off to Mercedes Porter of Satisfy My Sweet Tooth, Adrienne Megoran of Food Family and Vino and to Kristina Belski of Food Nook.
I certainly hope you ladies enjoyed receiving these as much as I enjoyed baking them for you!!! A special thanks also goes out to Michele, Ruth, and grandma Leyda! I appreciate having you all in my life.
At this time, I’d also like to give a major shout out to Julie of The Little Kitchen and Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil for all the hard work and effort that must have gone into this undertaking of major proportions to bring forth, the first ever Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! Thanks, ladies…you “ROCKS”!!! Pun intended 😉
For additional cookie recipes that are always sure to please a crowd, please click on the following titles for;
- Cream Cheese Cookies with Creamy Cheesecake Topping
- Amish Sweet Potato Cookies
- Gluten-Free Maple Bacon Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Malted Chip Cookies
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed today’s updated recipe post for 1930’s Vintage Rocks Cookies as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you!
Should you have any questions regarding this recipe, or anything else you’ve seen on my site, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly or leave me a comment in the comment section below. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back to you with a reply just as soon as I possibly can!
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Kudos Kitchen by Renée ~ Cooking up artistically delicious family-friendly dishes from my Kudos Kitchen to yours!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
- 180Shares
Awww I love the story behind these 🙂 Now I wish I could eat walnuts lol
oo those cookies look wonderful and oo that cookbook! I'd be in cookbook heaven with that! I love vintage cookbooks, and have quite a little collection that I started by shopping at our goodwill store. what a treasure! both the cookies and book!
awwww, this was so sweet(pun intended) the cookies looked delicious. i am going to try then veganized, I'll let know how they turn out.
cheers terri
There's something extra special about hand mixed cookies – – it's almost like there's a little extra love in them 🙂 – – these look delicious. What a great recipe
I love that these came from a vintage cookbook! They look so yummy! So glad you participated in the cookie swap. 😀
What a lovely post for a great cookie recipe and a great cookie swap. I've read a lot of posts on the swap today and yours is the first that provided the link to register for notices for the swap next year. Thank you for that. I hope to be able to participate next year so I signed up.
Lucky the ladies who are getting your cookies this year 🙂
Oh my goodness I know EXACTLY what cookies you are talking about! My grandmother makes these cookies every year, a tradition that started way back in the 60's when her oldest two boys were in vietnam. She sent the rock cookies in the mail because they were the only cookies with enough hair on their chest to withstand the long voyage overseas. I have no clue why they're called rock cookies though, maybe because they're so hard to break?
that is just perfect for christmas. i would like to receive it.. as a gift.. 🙂 (heeee..heee….)
Ahh, I love the thoughtful Heirloom Cookies you sent! Nothing beats an old cook book recipe!
I’m all about that brown butter and cinnamon! Cannot wait to dive into the kitchen and make up a batch of these – awesome!
If your house is anything like mine, they won’t last long! Enjoy!!
I am in love with Brown Butter flavor. These cookies will be a great hit at my house!
What’s not to love, right? Thanks, Nellie!
Hi , my mother who was irish lovedto bake Xmas Rocks back in 50’s – 70’s! I loved them ! But they always
had cloves ,dates and walnuts . Thanks John upstate NY
Hi, John!
I’m sure there are many variations for this recipe, just as there are many variations to many recipes.
Feel free to add cloves, dates, and walnuts. I’ll never tell!
Happy Holidays!
Renee
I have been looking for this recipe for yrs. My Nana made them and they were my favorite. I thought she called them rock cookies but no one else did. So I thought the recipe died with her. I made them and was so excite to find they tasted as I remembered. The one thing I changed was instead of raisins I put in currents.
Thank for the happy memory
Kelley
I’m so glad this recipe brought back wonderful memories for you. Currents are a wonderful option. I’ll have to try that next time.
Thanks for the idea, and thanks for your kind comment, Kelley! I appreciate it!!
Renee
Wonderful memories. I remember my mom boiling the raisins with just enough water to cover raisins. Reserving a small amount of liquid; drain; cool. Then add raisins and liquid to batter. They were the softest cookies ever. Delicious
That trick of rehydrating the raisins is great. I’ll bet it makes these cookies even more plump and delicious. I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks, Renee!