Cooking/Recipes

Issue date:
March 20-22, 1998

	Half a century of American favorites
	Their whimsical names may not sound familiar, but these classic recipes are widely recognizable from bake-sale tables and Christmas cookie trays. They all originated in past Pillsbury Bake-Offs. CHERRY WINKS Bake-Off 2 (1950) A true '50s recipe: Cookies dipped in cornflake crumbs and topped with maraschino cherries. PEANUT BLOSSOMS Bake-Off 9 (1957) What bake sale hasn't included these peanut butter cookies topped by a Hershey's kiss? This recipe is one of the most requested Bake-Off recipes. DILLY BREAD CASSEROLE Bake-Off 12 (1960) From scratch, from yeast-erday. TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE Bake-Off 17 (1966) This recipe single-handedly made the Bundt pan a standard piece of equipment in American kitchens. MAGIC MARSHMALLOW CRESCENT PUFFS Bake-Off 20 (1969) Canned dinner rolls are the main ingredient. CHOCOLATE CHERRY BARS Bake-Off 25 (1974) The bar cookie era arrives. This uses devil's food cake mix and cherry pie filling. CHOCOLATE PRALINE LAYER CAKE Bake-Off 33 (1988) The indulgence of the '80s, presented in a cake pan.

What makes a recipe a classic

F the thousands of recipes published each year, only a few earn a dog-eared place of honor in a cook's permanent recipe files. Some of those originated in the famous Pillsbury Bake-Off. USA WEEKEND and the Pillsbury test kitchen collaborated to identify new recipes from the Bake-Off that have potential to stay in use well into the 21st century.

The essential ingredients of a classic recipe are clearly spelled out by Jean Anderson, author of The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century (Clarkson Potter, $35): "A classic recipe has to taste good, has to look good and has to catch the public fancy -- whether it's with a creative title, an unusual pan, a gimmick."

The Pillsbury Bake-Off itself catches the public fancy: It's the Ms. America of cooking, watched by professional and amateur cooks for trends. What they are seeing in the "new classic" recipes: