Vintage Eats Recipe: 1956 Pineapple Ice Box Pudding

This summer I’ve had a fascination with pineapple and the various ways to use it. (My favorite way may still be freshly cut!)

I’ve shared vintage pineapple recipes for slaw, chicken dish, and cake.

Today’s recipe is another possibility, should you find a sale on pineapple at your store (I always keep my eyes open!)

Pineapple Ice Box Pudding has a great vintage name. It lives up to it with a sweetness that is simple to assemble using products you probably have in your pantry, making it great for last-minute guests.

I made a couple of minor changes to the original recipe:

Instead of using an ice box, which I think is a freezer, I refrigerated my mixture. I will freeze it for the next time, just to test differences in texture. Be sure to cover it so the appliances don’t dry out the tops.

Rather than use a square dish, I pulled out petite-sized scalloped dishes. After pressing vanilla wafer crumbs in them, I placed dollops of pineapple mix on top using a small ice cream scoop.

Topped with an assortment of berries (I chose not to use nuts), the dessert looks refreshing, attractive, and sumptuous. Guests may think it’s ice cream!

This recipe is from a 1956 cookbook called ‘Cook’s Curios.’ According to Ebay, this is ‘an extremely rare’ cookbook. One buyer was selling it for $20.00.

I don’t know why it’s considered rare. I purchased it in a local online auction, along with other vintage cookbooks. I’m excited to have it as I enjoy all of my vintage cookbooks and the treasures they contain.

This recipe for Pineapple Ice Box Pudding is so easy to fix and economical that you’ll want to make it often.

What is your favorite pineapple recipe? Please share it with me and I may try it!

Take care,

**

Pineapple Ice Box Pudding

¾ pound vanilla wafers

¼ pound butter, softened (1 stick)

1/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained

1 cup whipped cream

½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Fresh or frozen berries

Roll wafers until fine crumbs.

Press crumbs in bottom of 9”x9” pan. Set aside.

In large bowl cream butter until light and fluffy.

Add sugar, beating well.

Add eggs slowly to sugar mixture, beating until smooth.

Stir in pineapple.

Spread mixture on crumbs.

Top with nuts, whipped cream or fruit.

Cover and refrigerate several hours.

Yield: 6 servings