We recently dug up a real vintage treasure: the 1957 edition of Nestle’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Kitchen Recipes. At 64 pages and with a soft cover, each of the 120+ recipes calls for Nestle semi-sweet chocolate. It is an excellent example of what is known as a branded cookbook. Filled with straightforward recipes, cookbooks like this one were popular in the middle part of the 20th century when food companies, like Nestle, were invested in introducing new products to homemakers and demonstrating the convenience of using these new household staples.

Nestle’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Kitchen Recipes is a bit of a time capsule. The simple pen and ink illustrations depicting an aproned mom and smiling kids capture a moment in history when Americans were optimistic and enjoying newfound prosperity. Although the recipes themselves are very basic lists telling the cook to combine, stir, blend, and bake, there is a narrative in the product promotions that adds to the enjoyment of reading the cookbook. We are encouraged to use a new product — instant coffee! — because we no longer have to reserve the use of coffee in recipes for extra special treats because of the trouble and expense of brewing an entire pot for flavoring. We are also told how we can make milk fans out of even the fussiest of youngsters by adding Nestle Quik to the beverage. The simple staging in the black and white photographs, in which the chocolate treats looks just as they would sitting on June Cleaver’s table, make it absolutely unintimidating to even the most casual cook.

 

Of course, our favorite section is “Candies and Confections.” There are 13 easy to follow recipes that can really build the confidence of a novice candy maker. Maybe the Short Cut Fudge won’t be the best fudge you’ve ever had — but it is a sublime study in convenience using a package of semi-sweet chocolate morsels, almost a can of condensed milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla. No candy thermometer, no sugar crystals to worry about. This is simple stuff to practice with and, guess what? Your kids and your friends’ kids will love it. Confidence! There are equally efficient recipes for English Toffee, nut brittle, and a fascinating item called Quickies which calls for “any ready to eat cereal” to be coated in a mixture of light corn syrup and semi-sweet morsels. This, we need.

Nestle’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Kitchen Recipes is as much a cookbook as it is a piece of Americana. As simply written as it is, it is an inspiring little book. From the optimistic ads to the recipes reduced to very simple form, this cookbook accomplishes what it sets out to do: It makes it easy to feel like a successful home confectioner.

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