1910 Church Cookbook Recipe

If you hear macaroons and expect coconut, this recipe is about to surprise you.

These Mock Macaroons come from a 1910 church cookbook and contain no coconut at all. Instead, they rely on egg whites, brown sugar, and chopped pecans to create small, chewy cookie-like cakes. Before coconut was common or affordable, this was a clever stand-in — and a perfect example of early “weird but works” baking.

Original 1910 Recipe Transcription

The following recipe is transcribed directly from Tried & True Cook Book: A Selection of Recipes (1910), compiled by the ladies of the First Congregational Church of Calgary:

MOCK MACAROONS — Miss J. Matthew
Beat white of one egg until light (not stiff), and add gradually, while heating constantly 1 cup of brown sugar. Cut and fold in one cup of pecan-nut meats finely chopped and sprinkled with one-fourth of teaspoon salt. Drop from tip of spoon one inch apart on a buttered sheet and bake. This recipe makes 2 dozen little cakes.

As with many early church recipes, temperatures and times were assumed knowledge — so here’s a modern, testable version that stays true to the original.

Mock Macaroons (Modernized from 1910)

If you enjoy chewy, nut-forward cookies and vintage desserts that don’t rely on flour or butter, these are worth trying. They’re simple, old-fashioned, and surprisingly rich for such a short ingredient list.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 egg white
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans
¼ tsp salt

Method

Beat the egg white until light and foamy (not stiff peaks).
Combine the egg white and brown sugar in a heatproof bowl.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (double-boiler method).
Stir constantly while heating until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat.
Fold in the chopped pecans mixed with salt.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a buttered baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake in a slow oven (300–325°F) until lightly set and just golden.
Bake time: about 15–20 minutes.
Yield: about 2 dozen small cookies

Fork Fact🍴

These are called mock macaroons because they contain no coconut. In the early 1900s, coconut was expensive and not always available, so pecans were commonly used instead — especially in North American community and church cookbooks.

Here are some of the other mock recipes to try Mock Pepper Steak or how about Mock Chow Mein

Tried & True Cook Book (1910), First Congregational Church of Calgary