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Nut Roll
1 lb. graham crackers, less 6 1 lb. marshmallows cut into quarters 1 C nutmeats (pecans are best) 1 lb. dates 1 C coffee cream Mix well and let stand 1 hour. Then shape into roll. Crush the 6 crackers and roll the pudding in crumbs and let stand over night. Serve with whipped cream.
Mrs. A. W. Lindroth, Minnie Dymond, Mrs. Robt. Sitz.
Christina D. Kern adds 2 glasses candied cherries.
An icebox roll of the kind that filled church cookbooks between the wars: no oven, no gelatin, just crumbs and cream bound by chopped dried fruit and marshmallow. The whole thing hinges on the resting time, which is when the crackers absorb the cream and the mixture turns from a crumbly mess into something sliceable.
- Crush the crackersThe recipe assumes you know this: the pound of grahams must be reduced to fine crumbs before mixing, with six whole crackers held back for the coating. A modern box of graham crackers runs about 14.4 oz, so one box plus a few extra sheets covers it.
- Coffee creamPeriod shorthand for light cream, roughly 18 to 20 percent butterfat. Half-and-half is the closest supermarket equivalent; heavy cream will work but makes a denser, greasier roll.
- DatesA pound of dates, pitted and chopped small. Dates of the period were often sold with the stones still in, which may be why no pitting is specified; check any bulk dates for pits before chopping.
- MarshmallowsA pound of the large marshmallows, quartered with scissors dipped in cold water or lightly floured, or they will weld to the blades. Miniature marshmallows can be substituted straight, but they hold their shape more stubbornly and the roll will be lumpier.
- Standing overnightDo this in the refrigerator, wrapped in parchment or plastic, not on the counter. The mixture is uncooked cream, and the original presumably counted on a cold pantry or an icebox.
- ShapingForm a log roughly 2 to 3 inches across on a sheet of wax paper, then roll it in the reserved crumbs and twist the ends of the paper to tighten it. Chilling firms the marshmallow enough to slice cleanly with a thin, warm knife.
- Candied cherriesChristina Kern's "2 glasses" is ambiguous: it may mean two of the small glass jars candied cherries were sold in, or simply two glasses used as a rough volume measure. Chopped candied cherries, to taste, are in the spirit of it.
- YieldThis makes a very substantial roll from about four pounds of mixture, so expect a long log and many thin slices. Very sweet: serve thin slices with unsweetened whipped cream.
No-bake crumb-and-marshmallow rolls appear frequently in American community cookbooks of the 1920s and 1930s, a period when commercial graham crackers and packaged marshmallows were widely available and home refrigeration was spreading. They belong to the same family as icebox cake and date-nut loaf: desserts that required no oven, no eggs, and no particular skill, which is part of why they turn up in church and ladies'-aid collections credited to more than one contributor at once. The triple attribution here, followed by a fourth cook's variation, is characteristic of the genre.