Sharing Family Recipes

Sharing recipes is one way we pass down generational knowledge and skills but also connects communities to their history, keeping local traditions and stories alive. A while ago, my local community asked residents to submit family recipes along with the memories connected to them. I love a good story, and sharing my own seemed like the perfect project to dive into. Thinking about family recipes and which ones to submit led me to remember my grandparents’ connection to community through CO-OP stores and my mother entering a CO-OP baking contest.

A Legacy of CO-OP Stores

CO-OP grocery and hardware stores have a long history across the Prairies, in our community, and in my family. At one time, my grandparents managed the CO-OP stores in St. Michael and Abee. The stores were more than just shopping stops. They served as community hubs where neighbors connected and stories were shared. Women would shop while their husbands waited, enjoying coffee and conversation.

Baking Contests and Community Connection

One way CO-OP encouraged community connection was by hosting a baking contest. Food has always been a wonderful way to bring people together and recipes always share more than just a list of ingredients. They pass on knowledge, practical skills, traditions, and memories from one generation to the next.

Butter Balls Through the Years

I remember my mother telling the story of how, when she was about five years old in 1963, CO-OP held a baking contest. She was just learning to bake, and her mother, my grandmother encouraged her to enter. My grandmother loved to cook, bake, and feed people. For her, preparing food for others was one way she could show love, and her offerings were always delicious. She was always urging people with already full bellies to “eat, just a little more!” Using the no-bake Butter Ball cookie recipe from the 1962 Co-op Food Fun book, my mother agreed to enter the contest and won! I have made these treats a few times over the years: first as a child, when I was learning baking basics, and later as an adult, adding them to our Christmas dessert tray. They are easy to make and delicious, making them perfect for children who are learning to read a recipe and cook.

Make Your Own Butter Balls: Recipe Share

Makes 36 Cookies
Taken from the 1962 CO-OP Food Fun: The Step by Step Cook Book
for boys and girls Recipe Book

Ingredients

⅔ cup of soft butter (not melted)
¾ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
½ teaspoon CO-OP vanilla
1 tablespoon water
2 cups CO-OP quick cooking oats
¼ cup icing sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Measure ⅔ cup of butter in a bowl. Cream the butter with a wooden spoon and then add the
white sugar. Cream the sugar and butter. Then add the cocoa, vanilla and water. Mix into the
creamed butter and sugar. Add the rolled oats to the mixture. Be sure to mix in the oats well.
Then, put the icing sugar on a large piece of wax paper. Make small equal sized balls with the
cookie dough, about the size of a large marble. (I use a small ice-cream / cookie dough scoop).
You should be able to make about 36 balls. Put the balls on a plate.
Take each ball and roll it in the icing sugar that was placed on the wax paper. Put the balls back
on the plate.
Chill the Butter Balls in the fridge for about 2 hours. Now they are ready to eat!

Keeping Memories and Skills Alive

Sharing recipes is a way to pass on community history, stories, skills, and family traditions. I hope mine inspires you to bake, cook, or simply recall the stories behind your own family favorites. I’ll be sharing another recipe and story soon, so check back to continue the journey!

If you enjoyed this story, consider liking the post and following along on the journey. Subscribing is free and lets you be among the first to read new recipes and family stories. I’ll be sharing another favorite from my family soon. Stay tuned!