There can be no better bake which typifies that ‘melt in the
mouth’ sensation than Melting Moments. Jenny sent me a family favourite recipe from her Mum, Betty with the following
message :
"You recently
came to our Social History group in Chesterfield to give a talk on your
grandmother's recipes which I enjoyed very much. It inspired me to look at
an old exercise book of my Mum's and bake a few of her favourite recipes again.
I do remember Mum making ‘Melting Moments’ and helping her. They
were delicious, a sort of a cross between a biscuit and a bun; she used to put
a cherry on the top of each one too.”
Melting Moments
2½oz/65g lard
1½oz/35g
margarine
3oz/75g
caster sugar
Porridge
Oats
5oz/150g
self raising flour
1 small
egg
1 tsp
vanilla essence
Cream
the fats and sugar and beat in the egg, Work in the flour and the vanilla
essence. Roll into balls with wet hands and coat with rolled oats. Place on a
greased tray and press out slightly. Bake in a moderate (180C/200F/Mark 4) oven 15-20 minutes.
Cool slightly on a tray before removing and decorate.
Meryl
says : Betty used lard and margarine but I used butter instead. I
preheated the oven to 180C/200F/Mark 4 which equals Grandma's term for 'moderate'. I put a cherry on
top just as Betty did too.
Many thanks to Jenny (and, of course, Betty) for this glorious memory box recipe. I remember having them as a treat
in a sandwich box. They were as light as a feather. They’re perfect to bake with
children too. Let's keep up the tradition!