The New “Yummy Book” of Recipes Made With Marshmallow Fluff

What a week I’ve had so far! I’m only just getting around to post this week. I apologize for the delay! For all of you just getting to know me, my blog is one of my creative outlets. I’ve only just started and so far I LOVE it! I work at an elementary school as a bookkeeper full time and the kiddos started back this week. It has been busy and chaotic at work but I have to admit, I love seeing the pigtails, glittery book bags and new school outfits! I do miss seeing those little smiles though! I can only imagine how hard it is for the kids to wear the protective masks and how difficult it must be for them not to see the caring adults around them giving them encouraging and assuring smiles. However, I always speak to them with a smile and can only hope that they can hear it and see my eyes are smiling at them too, bless their precious hearts.

Our fabulous school district is offering free school breakfast and lunch this year for our students. I’m not seeing as many lunch boxes with homemade lunches as we used to. Lunch boxes hold a special place in my heart. If you were a child in the 80’s like myself, maybe you carried a lunchbox sporting your favorite cartoon or television character. I had a pink and white gingham Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox that I loved. I remember my mom making me ham or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I would trade those sandwiches out sometimes with my best friend Faith. Her mom made her egg salad sandwiches and I loved them as much as Faith loved my peanut butter and jelly! On occasion, I would eat the school cafeteria food and was especially eager to when they served their “lunch room sandwiches”. That’s what we called them back in day. They were warm and gooey peanut butter sandwiches on fresh, soft white bread. I remember trying to catch the sweet stickyness as it dripped between my bread crusts before I lost it to the lunchroom tabletop. A sad and wasteful end to such deliciousness. After leaving Elementary school, I tried recreating the lunch room sandwiches myself with peanut butter and honey. I would microwave the two in a bowl, mix the warm, runny concoction together and poor it on fresh Sunbeam bread. It fit the bill and hit the spot! It also transported me back to my happy childhood, where my only worry was if I’d forgotten my spelling book at school or not. Here recently, I learned how my favorite childhood sandwich was truly made from the fantastic ladies that work in our school cafeteria. It was peanut butter warmed and mixed with corn syrup! (GASP!) I was to learn, later in life, that sweetened peanut butter sandwiches came in other forms besides the lunch room sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly I grew up with and loved.

I had never heard of a “fluffer nutter” sandwich as a child. I was in my late 20’s with children of my own when I discovered them. I fixed them for my boys who were not fans unfortunately. I thought they were delicious. They reminded me of the sweet lunch room sandwiches I so loved. To this day I wonder how the fluffer nutter sandwich evaded our little southern town. It’s hard to believe I had never heard of it for over 25 years! We were no strangers to marshmallow cream. My mama used Kraft marshmallow cream to make her fantasy fudge. The fudge recipe could be found on back of the jar. The “Fluff” brand marshmallow cream has been around for over 100 years. With its iconic, kitschy blue and red container, I will never understand how it eluded me for almost half of my existence!

That brings us to this weeks vintage recipe booklets and I have to admit, my FAVORITES in my collection so far! I love the elves, the colors and the recipes! So cute and so fun, they are both such eye-candy for me! The third edition has a few more recipes and elf illustrations in it but they are basically the same book. The second edition has 17 pages and the third edition has 18. Neither are dated but from the research I have done, both are circa 1950’s. I am still searching for the first book with the wide eyed little girl on the cover anxiously watching a cake being frosted. One day I will come across it, fingers crossed!

Did you enjoy fluffer nutter sandwiches as a child or any other recipes made with marshmallow fluff? Let me know in the comments!