WWII was felt not just by soldiers on European beaches or in the depths of the Pacific Islands, but also on American soil, where citizens, many of whom were separated from their recruited loved ones, modified their lives to feed the US war machine. People took up unoccupied manufacturing jobs and followed tight rationing of basic necessities.

And, while government-backed food manufacturing provided soldiers with military rations, the food did not taste like real food. Outside of cigarettes and the occasional chocolate bar, soldiers craved for a taste of home, even if it wasn’t quite the same as it once was. A box of these Wartime Ration Cookies would have provided a mental break from the food-like compounds contained in military rations.

With a caramelized sweetness and a slightly soft, sensitive crumb, these cookies evoke a sense of nostalgia.Wartime Ration Cookies were a reimagining of the standard chocolate chip cookie, lacking the essential sugars. Sugar was the first food rationed in 1941 and the last to be removed from the list in 1947, making it difficult to bake a sugary dessert.

Nestle, the makers of Toll House chocolate bars, devised a sugar-free substitute for their famous chocolate chip cookie, which they purchased (allegedly for one dollar) from Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1939. This variation adds a unique twist by replacing butter with shortening. The recipe then calls for maple syrup and honey in place of brown sugar and granulated sugar. After you’ve mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, move on to the liquid.

Shortening, honey, and maple sugar are beaten for two to three minutes to achieve a light, fluffy texture. Don’t be concerned if the mixture appears gritty and separated after you beat in the eggs! When you add all of the dry ingredients, the dough becomes smooth and silky. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. The dough will appear quite soft. Chilling the dough does not harden it up, allowing you to bake the cookies right away.

Divide the dough into portions using a big teaspoon. When placing the dough on the prepared trays, make sure to give these cookies plenty of room to spread. These biscuits are very different from your typical chocolate chip cookie. They are less sweet and have a softer, cakier texture that melts in your tongue like shortbread or meltaway cookies.

These ration cookies provide a welcome relief from today’s overly sweet treats. They go well with ice cream or a sandwich of buttercream frosting because they aren’t overly sweet. You will appreciate every bite of these cookies, no matter how you eat them!