Little House Recipes: 15 Pioneer Foods Laura Ingalls Wilder Wrote About, From Maple Snow Candy to Prairie Christmas Cakes

Little House recipes bring back one of the coziest feelings of childhood: curling up with a Laura Ingalls Wilder book and getting hungry on every page. Laura was born in 1867 in a log cabin near Pepin, Wisconsin, and she did not publish her first book until 1932, when she was 65 years old. Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy and The Long Winter are full of food, from maple candy poured on snow to the brown bread that kept the Ingalls family alive through a terrible winter. Generations of girls who read those books are grandmothers now, and these Little House recipes still taste like home. Here are 15 recipes from Laura’s world, made in a modern kitchen, each with the true story behind it, a list of what you will need and easy steps..

Maple Sugar Candy on Snow, the Sweetest of All Little House Recipes

In Little House in the Big Woods, a late spring snowfall means a sugar snow, and the whole family goes to Grandpa’s house for the sugaring-off dance. Grandma boils the maple syrup down, and the children pour little loops of hot syrup onto plates of clean snow, where it turns into chewy amber candy. Laura and her cousins ate all the candy they wanted that night. Little House recipes fans can read more about Laura’s life on her Wikipedia biography..

You will need: 1 cup pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon butter, a large baking pan packed with clean snow or finely shaved ice, a candy thermometer and wooden craft sticks.

How to make it: 1. Pack the snow or shaved ice firmly into a baking pan and keep it in the freezer until needed. 2. Bring the maple syrup and butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. 3. Cook without stirring until the syrup reaches 235 to 240 F on a candy thermometer. 4. Pour thin ribbons of hot syrup onto the snow, wait a few seconds until it firms up. 5. Roll each ribbon onto a wooden stick and eat right away while it is soft and chewy.

Old-Fashioned Johnnycakes From the Prairie Kitchen

Cornmeal was everyday food in every cabin the Ingalls family lived in, and johnnycakes were one of the simplest ways to cook it. Some people say the name came from journey cakes, because the thin griddle cakes traveled well in a saddlebag or a covered wagon. Ma would have made them with little more than cornmeal, salt, water and a hot iron pan. Today they make a lovely breakfast with butter and a drizzle of molasses or maple syrup, and of all the Little House recipes, they cost the least to make.

You will need: 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup boiling water, 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk, butter or bacon fat for the griddle, and molasses or maple syrup to serve.

How to make it: 1. Stir the cornmeal, sugar and salt together in a bowl. 2. Pour in the boiling water, stir well and let it stand for 5 minutes. 3. Add enough milk to make a thick batter that holds its shape on a spoon. 4. Drop spoonfuls onto a hot greased cast iron griddle and flatten them a little. 5. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side until crisp and golden, then serve with butter and syrup.

Little House Recipes Start With Ma’s Homemade Butter

One of the most charming scenes in Little House in the Big Woods shows Ma churning butter. In winter the cream was pale, so Ma grated a long orange carrot, simmered it in milk and strained the golden milk into the churn to give the butter a summer color. Then she pressed it into a wooden mold that left a strawberry and two leaves on top. You do not need a dasher churn today: a jar or a stand mixer turns heavy cream into fresh butter in about ten minutes.

You will need: 2 cups cold heavy cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a large jar with a tight lid or a stand mixer, a bowl of ice water and a small butter mold or ramekin.

How to make it: 1. Pour the cream into the jar or mixer bowl and shake or whip it hard. 2. Keep going past the whipped cream stage until yellow butter separates from thin buttermilk. 3. Pour off the buttermilk and save it for pancakes or biscuits. 4. Rinse the butter in ice water, pressing it with a spoon until the water runs clear. 5. Mix in the salt, press into a mold or ramekin and chill until firm.

Brown Bread From The Long Winter

The Long Winter tells the true story of the hard winter of 1880 to 1881 in De Smet, Dakota Territory, when blizzards stopped the trains for months. With no flour left in town, the Ingalls family ground seed wheat in the little coffee mill, a handful at a time, all day long. Ma baked that coarse flour into a brown loaf, and it kept the family going until spring. No list of Little House recipes is complete without it, and a slice with butter is a small reminder of how brave they were.

You will need: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup rye flour, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup molasses, 2 cups buttermilk and 1 cup raisins (optional).

How to make it: 1. Grease a large loaf pan and heat the oven to 325 F. 2. Whisk the wheat flour, rye flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt together. 3. Stir in the molasses and buttermilk until just combined, then fold in the raisins. 4. Pour into the pan, cover tightly with greased foil and bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes. 5. Cool 15 minutes before slicing, and serve warm with plenty of butter.

Baked Beans With Salt Pork, Little House Recipes for a Crowd

Farmer Boy, the book about Almanzo Wilder’s childhood on a farm near Malone, New York, is famous for making readers hungry. Baked beans slow-cooked with salt pork and dark molasses were a classic of that northern farmhouse table, and the pot could sit in the oven for hours while everyone worked. Beans also turned up on the Ingalls family’s table on the prairie, because a sack of dry beans lasted all winter. This version uses thick bacon, so it is easy to find everything at the store.

You will need: 1 pound dried navy beans, 6 ounces salt pork or thick-cut bacon, 1 onion, 1/3 cup molasses, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

How to make it: 1. Soak the beans overnight, then simmer in fresh water for about 1 hour until just tender, and drain, saving 2 cups of the liquid. 2. Cut the salt pork into chunks and chop the onion. 3. Layer the beans, pork and onion in a bean pot or Dutch oven. 4. Mix the molasses, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper and saved liquid, then pour over the beans. 5. Cover and bake at 300 F for 4 to 5 hours, adding water if needed, uncovering for the last 30 minutes.

Buckwheat Pancakes Like a Farmer Boy Breakfast

Breakfast in Farmer Boy is legendary: stacks of pancakes, sausages, fried potatoes, pie and plenty of syrup, all before Almanzo went out to do the chores in the cold. Buckwheat grew well on northern farms in the 1800s, and buckwheat cakes were a favorite winter breakfast across rural America. They have a nutty, earthy flavor that goes beautifully with butter and maple syrup. Mixing buckwheat with a little regular flour keeps these Little House recipes light and tender for modern tastes.

You will need: 3/4 cup buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 1 egg and 3 tablespoons melted butter.

How to make it: 1. Whisk the buckwheat flour, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 2. Whisk the buttermilk, egg and melted butter in a second bowl. 3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until just combined and let rest 10 minutes. 4. Pour 1/4 cup portions onto a hot buttered griddle and cook until bubbles form. 5. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, then serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

Fried Apples ‘n’ Onions, Almanzo’s Favorite Dish

When Almanzo’s mother asks what he would like for dinner in Farmer Boy, he does not ask for cake or pie. He asks for fried apples ‘n’ onions, and fans of Little House recipes have been curious about it ever since. Sweet apples and onions cooked slowly in bacon fat turn soft, golden and a little caramelized, and the mix of sweet and savory is surprisingly good. It is perfect beside pork chops, sausages or a roast chicken, and it makes the kitchen smell like an autumn farmhouse.

You will need: 4 slices bacon, 2 large onions, 4 firm red apples, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, a pinch of salt and a pinch of cinnamon.

How to make it: 1. Fry the bacon in a large cast iron skillet until crisp, then crumble it and leave the fat in the pan. 2. Slice the onions into rings and cook them in the bacon fat until soft, about 8 minutes. 3. Core the apples and cut them into thick wedges, leaving the skins on. 4. Add the apples, butter, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon and cook until tender and glossy, about 10 minutes. 5. Stir the bacon back in and serve hot.

Mother Wilder’s Twisted Doughnuts

Farmer Boy has one of the funniest food scenes in the Little House books. Almanzo’s mother twists her doughnut dough into long braids, drops them in hot fat, and the twisted doughnuts roll themselves over when one side is done. Round doughnuts, she says, take too much time because you have to turn them. Almanzo grabbed them as fast as they came out of the kettle. For modern Little House recipes fans, fry them in a heavy pot with a thermometer, then roll them in cinnamon sugar.

You will need: 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, oil for frying and cinnamon sugar.

How to make it: 1. Whisk the dry ingredients, then stir in the eggs, buttermilk and butter to make a soft dough and chill for 30 minutes. 2. Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick on a floured board and cut strips about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. 3. Fold each strip in half and twist it into a short rope, pinching the ends. 4. Fry a few at a time in oil heated to 365 F, turning once, until deep golden. 5. Drain on paper towels and roll in cinnamon sugar while warm.

Ma’s Green Pumpkin Pie, One of the Cleverest Little House Recipes

In The Long Winter, an early frost catches the pumpkins before they turn orange. Ma does not waste a thing: she slices a green pumpkin, sweetens it with sugar and spice and bakes it in a crust like apple pie. When Pa takes his first bite, he cannot believe there are no apples in it. Pioneer cooks called this kind of dish a mock apple pie, and it still works today with a small green pumpkin or even a firm zucchini when apples run out.

You will need: 2 refrigerated pie crusts, 5 cups thinly sliced peeled green pumpkin or firm zucchini, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 2 tablespoons butter.

How to make it: 1. Line a 9 inch pie plate with one crust and heat the oven to 400 F. 2. Toss the sliced pumpkin with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. 3. Pile the filling into the crust and dot with butter. 4. Cover with the second crust, seal the edges and cut steam slits in the top. 5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes until golden and bubbling, then cool before slicing.

Heart-Shaped Christmas Cakes, the Most Touching of the Little House Recipes

Little House on the Prairie has the most touching Christmas in the series. The creek is flooded and Laura and Mary fear Santa Claus cannot reach them, but their neighbor Mr. Edwards walks forty miles to town and swims the icy creek to bring gifts. Each girl gets a shiny tin cup, a stick of peppermint candy, a penny and a little heart-shaped cake made with white sugar, a rare treat on the frontier. For more cozy winter baking ideas, try our snow day recipes Grandma made.

You will need: 1/2 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup white sugar plus extra for sprinkling, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup milk, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: 1. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. 2. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the butter with the milk. 3. Spread the batter in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan and bake at 350 F for 18 to 22 minutes. 4. Cool completely, then cut out hearts with a large heart cutter. 5. Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle with white sugar so they sparkle.

Old-Fashioned Peppermint Candy Sticks

The peppermint candy in Laura’s Christmas cup was a real treasure, and it is easy to see why. On the frontier, store-bought candy meant a long trip to town and money that families rarely had to spare. Making your own peppermint sticks is one of the most fun Little House recipes for the holidays, with children watching from a safe distance. The hot sugar is pulled and twisted into red and white ropes, and the cooled sticks look lovely tucked into a mug or a Christmas stocking.

You will need: 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup light corn syrup, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, red food coloring, butter for the pan and heatproof gloves.

How to make it: 1. Butter a baking sheet and set it near the stove. 2. Boil the sugar, corn syrup and water without stirring until it reaches 300 F on a candy thermometer. 3. Stir in the peppermint, pour half onto the sheet and tint the other half red before pouring it beside the first. 4. When cool enough to handle with gloves, pull and twist the red and white candy together into ropes. 5. Snip into sticks with oiled scissors and let them harden completely.

Farmhouse Chicken Pie for a Cold Night

Chicken pie was a Sunday and holiday favorite in farmhouses across America in Laura’s day, and both the Ingalls and the Wilder families raised chickens. On the prairie, Pa also hunted wild birds, and a hearty pie was a way to stretch one bird to feed a whole family. This version of the old Little House recipes favorite keeps the spirit: tender chicken, vegetables and a creamy gravy under a flaky golden crust. It is the kind of supper that makes the house feel warm when the wind howls outside.

You will need: 2 refrigerated pie crusts, 3 cups cooked chopped chicken, 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, 1 small onion, 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup flour, 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, 2/3 cup milk, salt, pepper and thyme.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 425 F and line a deep pie dish with one crust. 2. Cook the chopped onion in the butter, stir in the flour, then whisk in the broth and milk until thick. 3. Season with salt, pepper and thyme, then stir in the chicken and vegetables. 4. Pour into the crust, top with the second crust, seal and cut slits. 5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden, and rest 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade Ice Cream, Little House Recipes From Farmer Boy

In Farmer Boy, Almanzo’s parents leave the children alone on the farm for a week, and the first thing they do is make ice cream. They chip ice from the icehouse, stir up sugar, eggs and rich cream, and turn it in a pail packed with ice and salt. Then they eat it every day, along with cake. Readers have loved that bit of mischief for generations. You can make this simple custard ice cream in an electric machine, or try a hand-crank freezer for the full experience.

You will need: 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 4 egg yolks, a pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons vanilla, plus fresh strawberries if you like.

How to make it: 1. Heat the milk, 1 cup of the cream and the sugar until steaming. 2. Whisk the yolks, slowly whisk in the hot milk, then return to the pan and stir over low heat until it coats a spoon. 3. Strain into a bowl with the remaining cream, salt and vanilla and chill at least 4 hours. 4. Churn in an ice cream maker until thick, adding chopped strawberries in the last minute if you like. 5. Freeze for 2 hours for scoopable ice cream.

Popcorn and Milk, Almanzo’s Winter Night Snack

On winter evenings in Farmer Boy, the Wilder family sits by the heater with a big dishpan of popcorn, and Almanzo explains a little trick. If you fill a glass to the brim with milk and another to the brim with popcorn, you can drop the popcorn into the milk one piece at a time and the milk will not run over. Popcorn in a bowl of cold milk, eaten with a spoon like cereal, was a real treat in the 1800s, and it is still the most fun of all the Little House recipes for children to try.

You will need: 1/3 cup popcorn kernels, 2 tablespoons butter or oil, salt, cold whole milk, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup if you like.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oil in a large covered pot with three kernels until they pop. 2. Add the rest of the kernels, cover and shake the pot until the popping slows. 3. Toss the popcorn with melted butter and a light pinch of salt. 4. Fill a glass or bowl with cold milk and spoon in the popcorn. 5. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup and eat with a spoon right away.

A Simple White Cake for Laura and Almanzo’s Wedding

Laura Ingalls married Almanzo Wilder on August 25, 1885, in De Smet, in a simple ceremony at the minister’s home, and Laura wore a black cashmere dress she had sewn herself. These Happy Golden Years ends with their little house on Almanzo’s claim. A plain white butter cake with fresh berries honors that late summer prairie wedding. It is a sweet way to end these Little House recipes, tasting like the cakes country cooks baked a century ago, and a light whipped cream frosting keeps it simple and pretty for any family gathering today.

You will need: 2 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup softened butter, 1 cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 4 egg whites, 2 cups whipped cream and fresh berries.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350 F and grease two 8 inch round pans. 2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then beat in the butter and half the milk. 3. Beat in the egg whites, vanilla and remaining milk until smooth and fluffy. 4. Divide between the pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes, then cool completely. 5. Fill and frost with whipped cream and top with fresh berries just before serving.