Melting Moments (Cornflake biscuits)

Whenever the conversation of old fashioned baking is brought up, one recipe that most people seem to recall fondly is melting moments, or cornflake biscuits.  

The recipe is very simple and easy to make.  I have no idea where the original recipe originated from, but I believe that I first came across it in the classic Be-Ro book of baking.  

More recipes that spring to mind when I think of the Be-Ro book include Empire Biscuits, Swiss Roll, Cheese Scones, Rock Cakes, Carrot Cake and Gingerbread loaf cake. What recipes do you remember?

melting moments/cornflake biscuits recipe

These retro biscuits are incredibly simple and quick to make and you just need a few basic storecupboard ingredients. 

They are perfect for last minute bake sales, parties or just a rainy afternoon baking session with the kids.

ingredient list

• soft butter. Some people use margarine for biscuits and I totally understand why – it’s much cheaper. However, proper butter will make the biscuits so much nicer to eat!
• caster sugar is best for melting moments – the grains are finer than granulated, so it’s much easier to cream with the butter.
• one egg – some melting moment recipes don’t contain an egg, but this one does!
• vanilla extract – for the best flavour, please don’t use essence.
• self raising flour.
• desiccated coconut or crushed cornflakes, for rolling the biscuits. I prefer coconut, but the choice is yours. Some recipes also use rolled oats!
• glace cherries. The only person I know who loves a glace cherry just as much as I do is my sister. We adore them. So retro!

step by step guide 

detailed instructions on how to make these biscuits are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Please have a read of the step by step before attempting the recipe!

• You start off by creaming soft butter and caster (superfine) sugar together in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.

• Beat in one egg and vanilla extract. Add self raising flour and mix until you have a soft dough.

• roll walnut sized balls of dough in the crushed cornflakes or coconut. Place each one on a greased and lined baking sheet, flatten slightly and top with a halved glace cherry. Leave about 3-4cm of space between each biscuit – they spread out quite a lot.

• Bake the biscuits in a moderate oven (180C/160Fan) for 10-12 minutes or until they are starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Keep an eye on them – they brown very quickly.

recipe notes

• You might have noticed that some of the biscuits are actually rolled in coconut instead of cornflakes. This is how my gran made them and called them “Melting Moments.” Feel free to swap the cornflakes for desiccated coconut if you like.

coconut or cornflakes?

• I personally prefer them with the coconut, but the crushed cornflakes make for a lovely crispy coating so I shall leave the choice up to you.  You could make half with coconut and half with cornflakes as I did – best of both worlds! 

storage instructions

These biscuits will keep for up to three days stored in an airtight tin.

Just look at how cute they are!

want to see more old fashioned baking?  

If you can’t get enough retro baking, take a look at my recipes for:

• old school cheese and onion flan
• cherry and coconut loaf cake

• Treacle Scones
• Coconut and raspberry jam loaf cake
• Ginger Parkin
• Lemon drizzle cake
• vanilla custard bisuits
• Best soft and chewy flapjack recipe
• Fruity Flapjacks
• Millionaire’s shortbread
• homemade jammie dodgers!

did you make this recipe?

I would love to hear what you thought of it – let me know by leaving a comment below and please rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card.

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Melting Moments/Cornflake biscuits

Yield: 14

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

These cute little biscuits are known as melting moments or cornflake biscuits. Whatever you call them, they are absolutely delicious and very simple to make!

Print

Ingredients

• 150g soft butter
• 75g caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 150g self raising flour
• 25g crushed cornflakes or dessicated coconut
• 7 glace cherries, sliced in half

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two large baking trays.
2. Cream the butter or margarine with the caster sugar until very light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour and mix well.
3. Roll walnut sized pieces of the mixture into balls and toss in crushed cornflakes or the coconut.
4. Place the biscuits on baking trays (they will spread so leave 3-4cm of space between each one) flatten slightly and place a small piece of cherry on each biscuit. Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown around the edges. Leave on the baking tray for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

Instead of coconut or cornflakes, you could roll the biscuits in rolled oats.

The biscuits will keep for up to three days in an airtight tin.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 232mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g

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