Lois’s Sugar Cookies

I haven’t quite been able to pinpoint Lois.

Sadly, I’m afraid Lois’ name is as popular as her cookie recipe. I can’t be sure if this is Lois England from Ohio, who worked in a five and dime store around 1940, or Lois England from Kansas, who got married over the state line in Missouri in the 1960s, or one of several Lois Englands in Arizona.

As for the recipe, it’s very similar to the recipe from the September 8, 1970 edition of the Carroll (Iowa) Daily Times Herald, contributed by Mrs. Rubert Bruner to a bake sale to benefit St. Anthony Hospital:

Mrs. Bruner’s Sugar Cookies 1 cup powdered sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 cup oleo 1 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 4 cups plus 4 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. soda 1 tsp. cream of tartar Cream sugars and oleo and vegetable oil. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop from teaspoon in walnut shaped balls. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Well, I may not be able to pinpoint Lois England yet, but I can tell you a bit about Mrs. Robert Bruner.

Mary L. Bruner and her husband Robert were both born in Carroll, Iowa, and lived their lives there. Robert was an attorney, originally in private practice, and Mary was a homemaker active in Catholic charities.

If there’s any relationship to the Mary Bruner who is active in politics in Carroll County today, I haven’t found it yet, but it’s possible. Robert’s mother was a state employee for many years, and after private practice, Robert went on to serve as Carroll County attorney for many years in the 1940s and 1950s.

From the box of F.J. from Sun City, Arizona. Some cards suggest a family history in Missouri and Kansas.

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