Middle English Recipe by Rachel Chase

The History of the Cookie: The first cookie-like cakes were made in Persia circa 7^th century. By the end of the 14th century, one could buy little filled wafers on the streets of Paris. Renaissance cookbooks were rich in cookie recipes. In 1596 a cookbook was published called Goode Huswife's Jewel by Thomas Dawson, one of the earliest cookery books for the growing middle classes in Elizabethan England. It included a square short-cookie enriched with egg yolks and spices, baked on parchment paper. From then on the cookie grew very popular in England.

The History of this Recipe: These bar cookies are a family favorite in my modern Present-Day English family. It is not a family recipe though; my mom discovered it in a ward relief society cook book. Still, I think this is a tradition we are going to pass on. Enjoy!

Middle English Recipe

By Rachel Chase

Middle English

To maken a mete þat is icleped “Riche swete kaka” . Heten ofen anon. Blandan to maken crommes from sucre and bure, mixte yfere an ey. Medle it yfere. Addere (chocolate) and nutes þer-on, grynde hem small. Læfan partir and medle þat sojournen. Preser partir þat sojournen againes panne; bacan tiene minutes inne ofen. æfter, ysprad thikke mylke ofer top schateren swete tuffy and mara (chocolate) and medle þat sojournen. Bacan for scor and fif minutes inne ofen. Bacan it wel and serue it forth.

Middle English with Direct PDE Translation

To maken a mete þat is icleped “Riche swete kaka” Heten ofen anon. Blandan to maken crommes from

To make a food that is called “Rich sweet cake”. Heat oven at once. Blend to make crumbs from

sucre and bure, mixte yfere an ey. Medle it yfere. Addere (chocolate) and nutes þer-on, grynde hem

sugar and butter, mixed together with one egg . Mix it fair. Add (chocolate) and nuts thereon, grind

small. Læfan partir and medle þat sojournen. Preser partir þat sojournen againes panne; bacan tiene

them small. Leave part and mix that remains. Press part that remains into(against) pan; bake ten

minutes inne ofen. æfter, ysprad thikke mylke ofer top schateren swete tuffy and mara (chocolate) and

minutes in oven. After, spread thick milk over top and scatter with sweet toffee and more (chocolate)

medle þat sojournen. Bacan for scor and fif minutes inne ofen. Bake it wel and serue it forth.

and mix that remains. Bake for twenty five minutes in oven. Bake it well and serve it forth.

English Version

Rich Skor Toffee Bars

2 1/3 c. flour

2 1/3 c. brown sugar

¾ c. butter

1 ¾ c. Skor bits

1 egg beaten

1 c. chopped nuts 1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Stir flour and sugar together then cut in butter. Add egg. Stir in 1 ½ c. chocolate chips and nuts. Reserve 1 ½ c. mixture. Press remaining mixture into bottom of 9 x 13 greased pan. Bake 10 minutes. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the crust, top with 1 ½ c. toffee bits. Sprinkle reserved mixture and remaining chips over the top. Bake 24-30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits.

*Note: Skor bits can be purchased at any local supermarket. They are crushed up pieces of Skor bars, a type of candybar consisting of chocolate and toffee. Also, as a side note, chocolate came from the Americas. The word comes from the Nahuatl word xocolatl (xococ “bitter” and atl “water”). It wasn’t introduced to Europe through Spain until 1520. Thus, there is no equivelent for the word in Middle English as it did not yet exist.