My parents live about 75 miles north of my husband and me. Consequently, I do not see them as much as I would like. Often we'll meet at a halfway point for lunch on Sunday afternoon. Recently however I have been home quite a bit because my mom fell and broke her wrist and has needed a lot of help with housework. One of my favorite things to do while I am home is to dig through my mom's cook books and recipe clippings. Last time when I was home, I uncovered her copy of the classic Betty Crocker 1963 Cooky Book, which she received as a Christmas present from her aunt and uncle in 1972. My goal is to make at least 20 different cookie recipes from this book and blog about them.
The first recipe I made was for something called Delta Bars. I don't know how these bar cookies got their name, but the description promised a butterscotch bar and the ingredient list was basics that I already had in my pantry. Butterscotch is a flavor I love, so I had to give them a try. They were delightful; next time I make these I will probably increase the amount of nuts, but otherwise they are pretty darn good.
Delta Bars
Source: Betty Crocker's Cooky Book
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, 1 separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Cream together shortening, sugar, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk (reserve the white), and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together; blend into shortening mixture. Spread in greased 9x13 pan.
Beat reserved egg white until foamy; gradually beat in brown sugar. Continue beating until mixture is stiff and glossy; gently fold in walnuts. Pour over dough in pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Cut into squares once cooled and enjoy!
