Desserts Through The Decades

Close your eyes and reminisce on the hot, summer days of your childhood. Are you picturing the sound of the ice cream truck coming from afar? Thinking about Choco Tacos® or Screwballs®? Now, fast forward to 2013. Today, children are satisfying their sweet tooth by reaching for something different – macarons at upscale bakeries or cups of frozen yogurt in exotic flavors with a plethora of toppings. Taste buds are changing from generation to generation – or is it that perhaps new generations just have more exposure to "fancy" desserts at a young age, making it the norm for them?

Children between the 1930's and 1950's lived the simple life with no cell phones, internet or reality TV. Young girls grew up learning that cooking and baking were part of their daily duties within the family – and that included ensuring dessert was prepared for a proper ending to a family meal. The desserts of these decades were equally as simple as the life they lived. During this time, all baked goods from cookies to cakes and pies were scratch-made, with no boxed mixes available to add milk and eggs to. Although baking from scratch was more complex for the housewives of this era, the flavors were fairly basic with staples including vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, along with cherry and apple pies. Hostess Twinkies made history in 1930 with their debut, along with Nestlé® Toll House® chocolate chip cookies, delighting children everywhere and offering sweets outside the house other than the occasional fair. Milkshakes were introduced by the 1930's in basic flavors and were often shared on a date at a diner or malt shop. During the 30's and 40's, desserts played the comfort role of pleasing loved ones – anytime of the week, cakes and other desserts were stored in the fridge in case a friend or grandchild stopped by for a visit.

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