Hey, my mom used to make that!

1978 wholegrain topping

The 1970s were not known for being particularly health-conscious. So it's surprising that this 1978 Quaker Oats ad includes a recipe for a wholegrain topping.

Savory Add-a-Crunch

2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts, wheat germ or un-processed bran, if desired
1/4 teaspoon onion or garlic salt

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Bake in ungreased large shallow baking pan in moderate oven (350˚F) 15 - 18 minutes. Cool; store in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Makes about 3 cups of topping.

Add-a-Crunch Crescent Dinner Rolls

Separate one 8 oz. pkg. refrigerated crescent dinner rolls into triangles. Brush 1 side of each triangle with melted butter; sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon Savory Add-a-Crunch. Roll up; brush tops with melted butter. Sprinkle tops with Savory Add-a-Crunch. Bake according to crescent dinner roll package directions. Makes 8 rolls.

Click here for another vintage healthful recipe.

What do you call a retro recipe that's a cross between muffins and quick bread? Bruffins.

I found this recipe in a 1959 issue of Co-ed magazine. Co-ed billed itself as the magazine "for girls and homemakers of tomorrow."

Here's the 1959 recipe for Dole Tropical Bruffins.

1 can (8 3/4 or 9 oz.) Dole Crushed Pineapple
2 bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup Grapenuts cereal
2 cups biscuit mix
1 teaspoon salt

For glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, unsifted
2 tablespoons pineapple syrup

Preheat oven to 425˚ and grease muffin tins. Reserve 2 tablespoons of syrup from the pineapple for glaze. Slice bananas and mash with fork. Combine sugar, egg and milk; mix well, then add Grapenuts, undrained pineapple, banana, biscuit mix and salt. Stir mixture about 25 strokes until blended but not smooth. Spoon into muffin tins, almost to the top, and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend glaze ingredients in small bowl until smooth. Loosen bruffins with small knife and while still hot, place each, top side down, into the glaze. Transfer to cooling rack.

Makes 6, large enough to slice, using 3 1/4-inch tins — or 12, using 2 1/2-inch tins.

Click here for an awesome retro breakfast idea from Aunt Jemima.

Coconut Orange Loaf

Here's the recipe for Coconut Orange Loaf.

2 1/2 cups once-sifted all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 tsp. Magic Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. mace
3 tsp. orange rind
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs well-beaten
2 tbsp. Planters' Peanut Oil
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup seedless raisins

Preheat oven to 350˚F (moderate).

Sift together into a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mace. Add orange rind. Make a well in center. Combine then add the orange juice, milk, eggs and oil. Stir until just blended. Stir in coconut and milk.

Pour batter into a well greased 4 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until done.

 Click here for a retro coffee cake recipe.

Via Shelf Life Taste Test

This Nut Log is made in an empty milk carton

Here's the very curious Nut Log recipe.

1/4 pound butter or margarine
1 cup (6-oz.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 10-oz. package mini marshmallows
1 8- or 10-oz. package crisp rice cereal
2 cups Spanish peanuts
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup raisins
3 cups popped popcorn

Melt the butter, chocolate and marshmallows together in top of double boiler. Mix remaining ingredients in a very large bowl. Pour melted chocolate sauce over dry ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. Then spoon the mixture into empty, clean milk carton — pack tightly — and place in refrigerator. In about an hour your Nut Log will be firm and ready to serve. Peel the carton away and slice. Makes about 24 servings.

 Click here for Nestle's 1967 recipe for Butterscotch Yule Log.

Via Shelf Life Taste Test

Old-Fashioned Corn Meal Biscuits

Here's the 1957 recipe for Corn Meal Biscuits from Clabber Girl baking powder.

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Blend in corn meal. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once. Stir lightly with a fork, just enough to moisten all the flour. Knead gently about 1/2 minute on lightly floured board. Roll dough 3/4 inch thick. Cut with 2-inch cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a 450˚F (very hot) oven 12 to 15 minutes.

Via TikiTacky

Splenda Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is from the 1990s.

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup light margarine, softened
1 cup Splenda Granular
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup skim milk
3/4 tsp. salt
2 whole large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, beat margarine, Splenda and honey with electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, add vanilla. Alternately, stir in flour and milk. When blended, fold in berries. Spoon batter into paper-lined or greased muffin cups. Bake until golden in a pre-heated 350˚ oven, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Serves 10.

Click here for an alternate recipe for blueberry muffins.

Via Eudaemonius

Super-easy retro muffins to make tomorrow morning

Here's a close-up of the muffin recipe from the vintage Mazola oil ad.

Click here for another retro muffin recipe.

Via vintage.kitten

Breakfast recipes from a 1956 Bisquick pamphlet (plus a bonus recipe for dumplings)

I found this Betty Crocker's Bisquick Cook Book at a flea market. "Cook book" is a bit of a misnomer. This is really more of a booklet.

Back of the 26-page booklet:

Here are some breakfast recipes, made with Bisquick, from the 1956 booklet:

And the bonus, non-breakfast recipe:

For a retro-fabulous idea for making pancakes, click here.