Introduction

If you’re looking for a blast from the past, look no further than these 9 old-fashioned recipes from the back of iconic product boxes. From classic cake mixes to iconic cereals, these recipes are sure to bring back memories of childhood and simpler times. Whether you’re looking for a nostalgic treat or a unique twist on a classic dish, these recipes are sure to satisfy. So grab your apron and get ready to take a trip down memory lane with these classic recipes!

9 Old-Fashioned Recipes From the Back of Iconic Product Boxes

Do you remember the days when you would open up a box of cereal or a can of soup and find a recipe on the back? Those days may be gone, but the recipes live on! Here are 9 old-fashioned recipes from the back of iconic product boxes that you can still make today.

1. Rice-A-Roni Chicken Bake

This classic dish is made with Rice-A-Roni, chicken, and cheese. It’s a simple and delicious meal that the whole family will love. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 package of Rice-A-Roni
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook Rice-A-Roni according to package directions. In a large bowl, combine cooked Rice-A-Roni, chicken, soup, cheese, milk, and butter. Pour into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Enjoy!

2. Jell-O Chocolate Pudding Pie

This classic dessert is made with Jell-O chocolate pudding mix and a graham cracker crust. It’s a simple and delicious treat that the whole family will love. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 package of Jell-O chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 pre-made graham cracker crust
• Whipped cream (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. Pour into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!

3. Campbell’s Tomato Soup Cake

This classic cake is made with Campbell’s tomato soup and is surprisingly delicious. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 can Campbell’s tomato soup
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine soup, butter, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

4. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

This classic casserole is made with Kraft macaroni & cheese and is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 package of Kraft macaroni & cheese
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook macaroni & cheese according to package directions. In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni & cheese, butter, milk, and cheddar cheese. Pour into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

5. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes French Toast

This classic breakfast dish is made with Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, crushed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 slices of bread
• Butter, for frying

In a shallow bowl, combine Corn Flakes, eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Dip each slice of bread into the mixture, coating both sides. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter. Fry each slice of bread until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

6. Lipton Onion Soup Pot Roast

This classic dish is made with Lipton onion soup mix and is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 package of Lipton onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (3-4 pound) chuck roast
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine soup mix, water, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and oil. Place roast in a large roasting pan. Rub garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and pepper over roast. Pour soup mixture over roast. Cover and bake for 2-3 hours or until roast is tender. Enjoy!

7. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup Brownies

These classic brownies are made with Hershey’s chocolate syrup and are sure to be a hit with the whole family. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Hershey’s chocolate syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, chocolate syrup, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

8. Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

These classic cookies are made with Nestle Toll House chocolate chips and are sure to be a hit with the whole family. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

9. Quaker Oats Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These classic cookies are made with Quaker Oats oatmeal and are sure to be a hit with the whole family. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups Quaker Oats oatmeal
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in oatmeal and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Sure, you could just make soup with a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom—it’s what the product was originally made for. However, when you flip over a can, you’ll likely find a recipe for Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole—a clever recipe that calls for a can of Cream of Mushroom, one that is known and loved by many for decades.

No matter what the packaged food is in—whether it be a box, a bag, or a can—this type of marketing tactic is brilliant, making it almost impossible to try and create the recipe without the iconic name brand in front of you. Can you even imagine pureeing your own pumpkin for a pie instead of just grabbing a can of Libby’s?

While there are many different products on the market today—like semi-sweet chocolate chips, red food dye, or cans of pumpkin—these quintessential companies will always be known for popularizing these old-fashioned recipes in the first place.

Here are nine recipes you likely know and love from product boxes, bags, and cans. After, be sure to check out our list of 11 Packaged Foods With Hidden Messages in Their Logos.

This popular casserole was created by a Campbell’s Soup Company employee in 1955. Originally called “The Green Bean Bake, Campbell’s started publishing the recipe on their Cream of Mushroom cans in the 1960s. The recipe is simple with just five ingredients and is also known for being published on the back of French’s French Fried Onions.

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Published on the back of a bag of Hershey’s Kisses to this day, you’ll find a recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms. The recipe calls for baking a batch of homemade peanut butter cookies, then smooshing a Hershey’s kiss right in the center of a warm cookie. The recipe was popularized after a winning contestant presented the recipe at a bake-off in 1957. It’s still an iconic cookie for the holidays.

Although different versions of the velvet cake existed in the early 1900s, Adams Extract is known for popularizing the red velvet cake by publishing a recipe on the package of its iconic food coloring. Using their red coloring, as well as the “Adams Best” Vanilla and Adams Butter, cake-lovers could easily replicate this beautifully decorated red delicacy at home.

Even to this day, a can of Hormel Chili will likely feature a recipe for Hormel’s Chili Cheese Dip. The recipe simply calls for two ingredients—a can of Hormel Chili No Beans, and a pound of pasteurized prepared cheese.

RELATED: 50 Old-Fashioned Recipes You Should Make Now

If you would rather learn how to bake the perfect batch of chocoalte chip cookies instead of buying it pre-made, Nestle Toll House continues to publish it’s iconic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe on the back of their chocolate chip bags today. It all dates back to 1939, when Toll House restaurant first opened and the owner created a batch of cookies with Nestlé Semi-Sweet chocolate. The chocolate didn’t melt as she expected, but that small experiment turned into the chocolate chip cookie we know and love today.

Published on the back of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin cans is the iconic pumpkin pie. Although Libby’s originally started as a canned meat company in the 1800s, the company’s foray into canned pumpkin in the 1920s made them a popular choice around Thanksgiving time—and the go-to option for baking delicious pumpkin pies.

While pancakes and waffles are popular uses for Bisquick now—as well as their iconic Strawberry Short Cake—but biscuits were once the sole reason for buying Bisquick baking mix in the first place. Discovered in 1931, Bisquick boxes advertised rapid biscuits with “90 seconds from package to open” making it easier for families to whip up a batch of biscuits at home. Bisquick is popularly used now for making “drop” biscuits (where you just drop a spoonful of dough on a cookie sheet) as well as fast dumplings for soups and casseroles.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Similar to Peanut Butter Blossoms, Reese’s offers their own version of a simple cookie with an entire Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniature pressed into the center. Customers throw together a peanut butter cookie (using Reese’s Creamy Peanut Butter, of course) and bake it in a mini muffin tin. The unwrapped mini cup is pressed into the center, and voila! Another simple cookie thanks to pre-packed Reese’s goodness.

It may just look like a simple tube of Pillsbury Grands! biscuits on the front, but the back commonly advertises a recipe for Monkey Bread—a gooey, sugary pull-apart bread baked in a bundt pan. Although the recipe originated in Hungary, the recipe became popular in California in the 1940s. Even Nancy Reagan was known for making this sweet morning bread after commenting on how you have to “monkey around with it” when it’s time to eat during an interview in 1982.

Kiersten Hickman

Kiersten Hickman is a freelance health and nutrition journalist. Read more