MAD MEN FINALE PARTY: Retro Chocolate Desserts

The finale for Mad Men is tonight. Wasn't this a short season? Love the show, but after waiting for over a year and a half for Season 5, I wish there were more episodes.

Anyway, I want to make something special for tonight's finale. I've posted several different recipes for Retro Chocolate Cakes and Desserts that fit the period (see links below). These are all great mid-century Mad Men mid-century chocolate recipes. Definitely try some for your Mad Men Party.

I have one more addition to the list. Refrigerator cookies were very, very mid-century. My mother loved to make pinwheel cookies, and we loved to eat them. Very mid-century! Love the combination and look of Pinwheel Cookies. Great Mad Men dessert--Spiraling Down. Recipe below. You can easily bake a batch for tonight's viewing!

Retro Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake (Pepsi can be substituted)

Chocolate 7-Up Cake

Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake

Cool Whip & Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

Chocolate Fondue

PINWHEEL COOKIES

My mother made these for us during the early Mad Men years, and they were my favorite of all the cookies she made--maybe because of the way they looked, as much as the taste. Refrigerator (icebox) cookies are simple to make. The recipe is from the Settlement Cookbook, my mother's 'other' Bible.

"Refrigerator or icebox cookies are among the quickest to make; the dough is molded into oblongs or uniform rolls, and thoroughly chilled. The roll is then sliced with a gently sawing motion that does not distort the shape. Refrigerator cookie dough keeps well, and the cookies may be sliced and baked in small quantities, as needed."

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sweet sugar
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 square unsweetened chocolate (I'm sure my Mother used Baker's), melted

Directions
Cream butter and sugar; add egg yolk and beat well.
Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture with milk and vanilla.
Divide dough in half.
Add chocolate to one part.
Chill.
Pat each into a thin, oblong sheet on waxed paper.
Place chocolate dough over white dough and roll tightly.
Chill until firm.
Slice thin.
Bake on greased cookie sheet in a moderately hot oven (375 F) for 10 minutes.

Cool Whip & Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

If you watched Mad Men Sunday Night, you'll know that the big pitch at the agency was for Cool Whip. Tagline: Just Taste it! Watch Peggy & Don in the Test Kitchen trying Cool Whip here:  How perfect a product for today's Food Holiday: National Coconut Cream Pie Day. Of course you can use whipped cream on your Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie, but many recipes call for Cool Whip, a "non-dairy topping".

I haven't really addressed this food breakthrough, so here goes. Cool Whip is used primarily in the U.S. as a dessert topping and in many no-bake pie recipes. It's been described as "non-dairy" since originally it contained no cream or milk and no lactose; however, it did contain the milk derivative casein. In 2010 both skimmed milk and light cream were added to Original Cool Whip. Cool Whip was introduced in 1967 by the Birds Eye division of General Foods. Within two years, it became the largest and most profitable product in the Birds Eye line of products. Birds Eye later merged with Kraft Foods and Philip Morris, eventually becoming part of Altria Group until the spin-off of Kraft Foods from Altria in 2007. In fall 2011, a new flavor, cinnamon, was introduced along with French vanilla and chocolate. In California the Fat-Free variety is labeled as Ultra-low Fat. Having said all this, I must confess that I almost never use cool whip, but don't let that from preventing you from trying it.

Prior to Cool Whip, though, there was another 60s topping that cooks in the U.S. used. It wasn't non-dairy, but it was 'quick and easy', and it was called Dream Whip. It is still available from Kraft Foods. Dream Whip is a powdered dessert topping mix that's 'ready in 4 minutes'. It's prepared by adding cold milk and vanilla and whipped until light. In my opinion, if I'm going to go to all that bother of adding and mixing, why not mix up some real whipped cream? The calories? Maybe, but the taste of real whipped cream can't be beat!

Recently I found the Baker's Chocolate and Coconut Favorites Cookbook (1965). From cakes to pies to cookies, this cookbook has some great recipes and some very funny dated comments about women and cooking.  For example, the beginning line in the section on pies, "Small wonder that women take pride in their pies'... well yes, but so do men." Still I imagine most of the pies at pie contests at the county fair in 1965 when this cookbook was published were made by women. And, as we saw from the Mad men episode, women were the market for non-dairy topper!

So today for National Coconut Cream Pie Day, I'm posting this recipe for Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie from this 1965 cookbook.

Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

To make Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie, make the meringue pie in the recipe below, but omit the meringue. Top pie with 1 cup prepared Dream Whip or Whipped Cream. (or Cool Whip).

Chocolate Fondue: A Retro Mad Men Party?

Fondue was very popular in the 60s and 70s, and every bride received at least one fondue pot. I'm sure the new Mrs Draper on Mad Men did.

Fondue and Fondue Parties are making a renaissance, and although I've posted recipes for Chocolate Fondue with Toasted Marshmallows, Avery Aames' Chocolate Fondue with Cheese,  and Chocolate Caramel Fondue, there's always room for another recipe.

Why not have a Fondue Party during the next Mad Men episode. A few tips: You can make everything ahead of time: cut up the fruit, put out the marshmallows, and other dippers. Be sure and have lots of napkins on hand, it can get messy. Fondue pots are readily available at most kitchen stores and many hardware stores, and online, of course. Or.. search the attic or ask your mother. You're bound to find one--maybe even one that's never been used.

Here from a Retro Cookbook--Better Homes and Gardens Fondue and Tabletop Cooking-- is a two-fer recipe page: Chocolate Fondue and Chocolate-Nut Fondue.

Ben & Jerry's Mad Men Themed Ice Cream

Vulture reported that Ben & Jerry's is releasing a new "Mad Men"-themed ice cream flavor, and it's called Sterling Scooper (a riff on the show's agency Sterling Cooper). The flavor includes top shelf vodka, flakes of gold and chocolate cigars. :-)

OK, this is not real.. but wouldn't it be fun?

"Mad Men" returns Sunday for its season five premier this Sunday, March 25.

Coca-Cola Cake for Mad Men

Tonight is the much awaited first episode of the new season of Mad Men, so I thought I should post a "Retro" recipe. Something that Betty might make. Because it's all about the Mad Men, I thought a Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake would be perfect. There are many versions of Chocolate Coca-Cola cake. If you're a Pepsi fan, you can always substitute Pepsi in the recipe. See the Retro Pepsi Ad below. Is that Don Draper in the Ad? Was it his account?

You'll love the instructions. They're pretty retro, too. I couldn't resist, though, posting two different icing recipes (and techniques). Take your pick. So, get out your 'Pyrex' dish and bake!

COCA-COLA CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 c. unsifted cake flour
2 c. sugar
2 sticks butter
2 tbsp. cocoa
1 c. Coca-Cola
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Sift together the flour and sugar. Heat to boiling point the butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola. Add to the flour and sugar mixture. Stir to blend. Add buttermilk, soda, eggs, salt and vanilla. Stir with a spoon until well blended. Pour into a greased and floured oblong pan (Pyrex dish). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Batter will be thin. Ice while hot.

COCA-COLA ICING
1/2 c. butter
6 tbsp. Coca-Cola
1 box confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. cocoa

Heat to boiling point the butter, cocoa and Cola-Cola. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; stir to blend. Using a fork, make holes in the hot cake and pour the hot icing over it.

BROILED PEANUT BUTTER ICING
6 Tbsp Butter
1 cup  Brown Sugar; Dark, Packed
2/3 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Milk
2/3 cup Peanuts; Chopped

Cream Butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Add milk and stir well. Add nuts. Spread over warm cake. Place iced cake under broiler about 4-inches from heat source. Broil just a few seconds, or until topping starts to bubble. DO NOT scorch! Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.