The holidays make us feel nostalgic. In that spirit, we’re sharing classic 1960s cookie recipes from Edie Bryn who ran the brewery employee coffee shop from 1957 to 1971. Edie was so well-liked (for both her food and her personality) that fellow employees threw her a retirement party. They printed her recipes in a small cookbook called “The Good Tastes of Edie Bryn” (we will be sharing some of these recipes within this blog). At her retirement, she received an engraved watch and a gas barbecue “in appreciation for the many moments of gaiety and hilarious entertainment she had given her co-workers.”
 
 
Almond Roca Cookies (from 1963)
½ C. white sugar
½ C. brown sugar
1 C. butter
1 egg yolk
1 C. flour
½ t. salt
4-ounce chocolate bar
Almonds, chopped
 
Mix sugar, butter and egg yolk. Add flour and salt. Press mixture into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet 15” x 11”. Bake 25 minutes at 325°.
Remove from oven. While still warm, melt chocolate and pour over cookie base. Sprinkle chopped almonds over chocolate. Cut into squares.
 
No-Bake Cookies (from 1960)
5 T. butter
1 ½ C. dates, cut fine
1 C. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
2 ½ C. puffed rice cereal
1 t. vanilla
1 C. coconut
 
Combine butter, dates, sugar, eggs, and salt in heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add rice cereal, vanilla, and coconut. Let cool. Form into small balls, and roll in additional rice cereal, crushed, or in coconut. Decorate each with a cherry or walnut half.
 
Honey Sugared Walnuts (from 1964)
2 ½ C. walnut halves
½ C. sugar
¼ C. honey
½ C. water
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. vanilla
 
Toast walnuts in moderate oven (375°) for 10 minutes, stirring once.
Butter sides of heavy 2-quart saucepan. Combine sugar, water, honey, salt, and cinnamon in saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Cook to soft ball stage (236°) without stirring. Remove from heat; beat until mixture begins to get creamy. Add vanilla and walnuts. Stir gently until nuts are well-coated and mixture becomes thick. Turn out on buttered baking sheet. Separate nuts at once with two forks.