Vintage Pinwheel Cookies

When thinking about a cookie that defines the 1930s, it has to be an icebox cookie, like these swirly pinwheels. The 1930s were a contradictory time. The entire decade was overshadowed by the Great Depression, caused by the Crash of 1929. Although numerous advancements were made in social programs under Roosevelt’s New Deal, economically the nation did not exit the Great Depression until the U.S. entrance into the Second World War in December of 1941. Although the Depression caused real hunger and scarcity in some parts of the nation, others were more insulated from the negative effects. The rise in popularity of Hollywood and the film industry meant that glamorous movie stars wearing slinky evening wear and waltzing around swanky hotel ballrooms were as representative of the decade as migrant workers escaping the Dust Bowl.  

In the face of a severe economic depression, nostalgia for the “good ol’ days” returned. The radicalism of the 1920s began to soften as traditional gender roles took over once again. Hemlines lowered, social mores tightened up, and the kindly, fresh-faced young mother took center stage in food advertising. An interest in old-fashioned foods returned and the Food Writer’s Project of the WPA attempted to catalog disappearing regional cuisines. Although it was never finished and never published, the project marked the desire to capture disappearing traditions in a time of extraordinary technological and social change. 

Christmas celebrations in the 1930s reflected both this nostalgia and the economic restrictions of the times. Homemade gifts, family celebrations, and home cooking were the focus for most families. Hollywood movies often provided an escape from the realities of daily life, and the popularity of child stars like Shirley Temple meant that families could see movies together. 

While the Crash of 1929 was caused largely by stock market speculation, plenty of ordinary Americans found themselves trying to pay off all the new appliances they had bought on credit in the 1920s. Radios, electric refrigerators, electric stoves, and dozens of other household appliances became increasingly commonplace, whether their owners could afford them or not. With the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, electricity was no longer limited to large cities — everyone had affordable access.

Electric refrigeration in particular had a huge impact on American households. Although the trend had started in the 1920s, by the 1930s refrigerators were more affordable and accessible than ever before, and dozens of cookbooks teaching people how to “cook with cold” appeared. Icebox desserts — usually involving whipped cream, pudding, and store-bought cookies — were increasingly popular, as was homemade ice cream, gelatin-based desserts, like coffee jelly and Bavarian cream, and chilled salads. The appearance and fashion of foods was just as important as it had been in the 1920s, but cost played an even more important role. 

Icebox cookies were an important development around this time. Named for the predecessor of the refrigerator, they really took off with the rising popularity of the refrigerator as a common household appliance. A dense dough designed to be chilled and then sliced before baking, icebox cookies maintained their elegant shape while saving the baker time and effort. The design also reduced waste, as the slices left no scraps that had to be re-rolled and cut again. Period recipes even discuss how just a few cookies could be sliced off the log and baked fresh for visitors, reducing waste even further and stretching what may have been limited baking supplies.

Although it was invented earlier, the pinwheel icebox cookie was everywhere in the 1930s. Recipes pop up in numerous cookbooks from the period. The recipes start with a simple sugar cookie dough, then add cocoa powder to half of the dough for the chocolate layer. After rolling each dough flat, they’re stacked on top of one another, then tightly rolled to create the signature swirl. The graphic design of the pinwheel in bold black and white was also representative of the bold, stylized, simplified lines of Art Deco, the 1930s style that took over everything from architecture and train design to clothing.

This recipe is from the 1931 edition of Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes. Developed in 1926 by the USDA Bureau of Home Economics, “Aunt Sammy” was a fictional character designed to engage rural housewives via radio. Her Radio Recipes were published multiple times in the 1920s and 1930s. 

Before you preheat the oven, gear up with these cookie-making essentials.

• The Sheet Pan Every Kitchn Editor Owns: This sturdy, won’t-ever-warp pan is great for cranking out a ton of picture-perfect sweets. Bonus: It comes in great colors, which makes baking even more fun.
• Our Tried-and-Tested Favorite Cooling Rack: We love these racks for their criss-cross design, which adds stability, makes sure your precious treats won’t slip though, and prevents the rack from wobbling or warping.
• The Little Spatula That Every Baker Needs: This thin-but-sturdy spatula is great for gently loosening your cookies from the pan and transferring them to the cooling rack. It’s particularly handy for moving small or delicate treats.