Granny's Cornflake Biscuits

Wednesday 25 May 2016


A nostalgic bake from me today. Cornflake biscuits were a staple at my maternal Grandmother's house. There was always a tin of them on the go along with Ministers Slices (yet to be recreated) and Grandma Monearn's Shortbread. They are super simple and cheap to make and when I posted a photo of them on Instagram there was an outpouring of love. Glacé cherries are retro in themselves and I had to scout around the supermarkets to get ones that were actually bright red rather than a more natural colour. I can't imagine that these biscuits or Pineapple Upside Down Cake would look quite so appetising without a bright red cherry on the top. 





Cornflake Biscuits such as these seem to have been made by a lot of Nan's and Gran's over the years but I suspect that many recipes will have been lost along the way. I rediscovered this one in a in a teenage reporters come recipe notebook along with my Mum's New Zealand Biscuits recipe. I've converted it from metric to imperial and also doubled the quantities. I've not come across a requirement for half an egg in a recipe in recent times! I think that the Lard does give them a bit of a special flavour but if that's not your thing feel free to substitute for a white vegetable fat. I also reckon that green glacé cherries would look fab on these. If you manage to track some down please do let me see your creation. I will of course be green with envy. 

Post Script! My lovely friend Janice over at Farmersgirl Kitchen left me a comment to say that her Mum used to make biscuits that looked exactly like these and called them Melting Moments. I had a sudden realisation that this in fact is most probably their proper name, although they will always be Cornflake Biscuits to me. However they definitely melt in the mouth and do only take a moment to make. 





Granny's Cornflake Biscuits

120g Lard (or vegetarian white fat alternative) 
60g Baking Margarine 
120g Caster Sugar
250g Self Raising Flour
1 Free Range Egg, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cornflakes
Glacé Cherries

Remove the lard and margarine from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180c
Cream together the fats and sugar.
Add the egg, vanilla extract and mix well.
Finally stir through the flour until just combined.
Shape the mixture into small balls and roll each in cornflakes.
Place on a greased/lined baking sheet and flatten slightly.
Top with a piece of glace cherry and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.


For further breakfast cereal recipe inspiration take a look at these great ideas from fellow food bloggers and be sure to pin my recipe using the image below. 


18 comments

  1. Aw that brings back memories. My Mum used to make them and called them Melting Moments, they looked exactly like yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh gosh Janice I think that could actually be their official name now that you mention it! They've always been Cornflake Biscuits to me. Will go and add that to the post.

      Delete
  2. These look great, I've never heard of them or tasted them before, but will give them a whirl! I, of course, have a steady supply of multi-coloured glacé cherries (red, green and white) à la Fanny's requirements... I've heard you can even get blue ones but I have NEVER seen them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I KNEW you would be the one to come to for glace cherry advice! Fanny was certainly a fan. I am now on a quest for the elusive blue cherry.

      Delete
  3. I love the name Cornflake Biscuits, reminds me of those chocolate-covered Cornflakes and Rice Crispies I used to (as I'm sure we all did) make as a child!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! Chocolate Krispie Cakes are a vital part of every childhood.

      Delete
  4. Oh I've not had these in forever, I can remember these from my childhood

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm loving that this recipe has brought so much nostalgic memories.

      Delete
  5. Ooh we used to get these at school and they called them melting moments there too. I would love to try one again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm still a wee bit confused over the whole Melting Moments name as I think of them more as chunky circular custard cream type biscuits.

      Delete
  6. I love love love retro recipes! We've recently been given the handwritten recipe book Pete's mum used to write her recipes in, so am keen to have a good look through there and see what gems such as this I may find. Anything with cornflakes has to be good, that's what my childhood brain says anyway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a couple of handwritten recipe books which belonged to each of my Grandmothers so still lots of experimenting to do and retro recipes to discover.

      Delete
  7. Memory lane, mum used to bake something very similar years back :) i bet they taste the same too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love a trip down a foodie memory lane. Pleased to report that they taste just as fab as I remember.

      Delete
  8. I love a good nostalgic bake, especially when they come from grandparents. We used to have a most wonderful deli here which had jars of green glade cherries, red ones and yellow ones. Sadly long gone now. I used to make melting moments when I was a teen, but I don't remember them having cornflakes - will have to revisit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really want to track down some multi coloured cherries now. I suspect I may have to resort to purchasing online.

      Delete
  9. And thanks for adding to #bakeoftheweek btw :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. my mum used jam for the middle, but i dont think she used lard.

    ReplyDelete

Foodie Quine. Design by Mimi Hammill. Powered by Blogger.