Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find recipes for chocolate candy, cakes and cookies. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
It makes sense that February is National Chocolate Lovers Month, since we celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th. Do you love chocolate? What are your favorite types? Looking forward to a gift of a specific chocolate type, flavor, or form this month?
Maybe you prefer to make your own sweet treats to share with everyone you care about. Don’t forget to take some time to search newspapers, such as GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives, for ideas for chocolate candy, cake, and cookies.
Chocolate Candy
I’ll admit that ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted one of those huge Valentine’s Day heart-shaped boxes with the ribbon. But even though I always thought that would be great, I can also appreciate homemade candy. Fudge is a definite favorite of chocolate lovers in my family. Here’s a fudge recipe from 1959 that is described as easy to make, even for younger cooks.
If you want another take on fudge and love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you might want to give this Peanut Butter Fudge recipe from 1982 a try.
Chocolate Cake
I love cake, and one of my favorite chocolate cakes is German Chocolate Cake. It’s that frosting combination of coconut and pecans that makes this a favorite. So different than the simple frosting of a regular chocolate cake – it’s a perfect indulgence. If you’ve always wanted to make German Chocolate Cake, here’s a recipe from 1995 that you might want to take a look at.
If German Chocolate Cake is not your thing, what about a really chocolatey cake? This 1995 newspaper article includes a recipe for a Fudge Cake that was passed down by the contributor’s family. Each Christmas it was made and presented as gifts to family friends. If you like chocolate, this cake with its fudge icing is probably one you should try. Notice the tip at the end of the recipe to cut the end piece and save it so that you can use it to: “press back against the remaining cake. That end slice keeps the cake moist until all of it is used.” Might be a good tip to keep in mind for other cakes or banana bread.
Chocolate Cookies
I realize that the first thought when you combine the words “chocolate” and “cookie” is Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can read some recipes for those cookies in my earlier blog article commemorating a special day in August: Today Is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day: The Best Cookie!. For today’s article, I thought it would be a good chance to look at a few recipes for other chocolate-based cookies.
These chocolate-dipped butter cookies sound great and are one way to augment a cookie recipe with something extra. Although they are featured in a newspaper article from 1966 on Easter cookies, I think we can all agree they would be great any time of the year.
I like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. The other combination I like is chocolate and mint. So, if you want something different here is a recipe from 1989 for chocolate mint cookies.
Happy National Chocolate Lovers Month!
Any day is a good day for something made with chocolate. Peruse GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives for recipes and ideas about what you can create for Chocolate Lovers Month!