Time Travel Kitchen

Blueberry Squares for Breakfast, 1933

This 1933 recipe for Blueberry Squares specifically states that they be served warm and with butter. I did as I was told, and I’m so glad I did.

They are light and tender and filled with blueberries — like the best blueberry muffins, only easier to make because all the batter goes into one square pan. They also have a nice crunch on the outside when you bite into them, even the middle pieces.

I haven’t found much history of squares, just that they appear in a lot of cookbooks of the 1930’s and were and are popular items at bake sales. I’ll keep looking, though —and if you have any references, I’d love to hear.

This is another recipe where baking powder, which was now part of most home kitchens, plays a big role. Quick breads and muffins and squares like this one could be made in lieu of breads that required yeast and time to rise.

It’s also another recipe that works. Every time I bake from one of these vintage cookbooks, I’m struck by the same things: the ingredient lists are simple; although I have used an electric mixer for some, they are relatively easy to make by hand (generations of people did!); the yields are what the recipes say they will be; the results have tasted great — they’re recipes I would make again.

A few notes:

• I substituted unsalted butter 1:1 for the shortening

• I used a square, 8”x 8” glass baking dish

• The yield was 9 pieces

• Eggs and butter should be room temperature

Shoutout again to this 1933 aluminum cookbook cover and binder — so easy to keep open on the counter.

This recipe is used with the permission of Hometown Foods Company, from the 1933 Balanced Recipes by Pillsbury cookbook and I thank them for it.

The remaining blueberry squares are wrapped up and spending the night in my 1927 breadbox. Or maybe they will appear again around 9pm tonight accompanied by vanilla ice cream. They would definitely work as a dessert.

I’m taking this opportunity to show-off my bread box because when I first moved to this apartment, I took out the whole drawer and cleaned and buffed it and returned it to its former glory. I love it!

Thanks for traveling along with me again. Next week: Peach Cake.
Have a great weekend!
Jolene

Photos 📸: Jolene