Step aside Arnott's. This is Nana Ling's Butternut Cookies Recipe from 1942 – and it's marked with an X.
This Butternut Cookies recipe delivers a wholesome cookie that will remind you of years gone by. Bake up a batch and enjoy one over a cuppa and a good book.
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The recipe
Nana Ling marked a small number of her handwritten recipes with an X, double X or triple X. My guess is it's her very own rating system, a little like Michelin stars, where one star means very good, two stars equals excellent and three stars is reserved for the exceptional.
I tend to agree with Nana Ling that this Butternut Cookies recipe does have star quality. They'r a little softer and chewier than the mass-produced version you can find at the supermarket, Arnott's Butternut Snap Cookies.
But the lovely BUTTER and cocoNUT flavours that give Butternut Snap Cookies their name are unmistakable in this homemade version and make them irresistible. You've been warned!
Here's a copy of the recipe as originally recorded by Nana Ling – but please keep scrolling for the tested and tweaked version in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Ingredient notes
The ingredients are standard baking items:
- butter, caster sugar and egg
- cream of tartar and bicarb soda
- plain flour and salt
- desiccated coconut
- vanilla extract
- treacle
- milk.
Find the ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Butternut Cookies
Pre-heat oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius / 355 degrees fahrenheit, fan-forced) and grease baking trays.
Cream the butter and sugar then add the lightly beaten egg, treacle and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Add the milk and then sift in all of the dry ingredients except the coconut. Mix well. Add the coconut and mix again.
Form into small balls and place on a well greased baking tray. Flatten slightly with the top of your fingers if you prefer a flatter cookie.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays for 10 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire cooling rack.
Storage
Keep in an airtight container for up to one week. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More beautiful biscuits
You may also want to bake up a batch of these:
Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)
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Butternut Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 ½ cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons treacle
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius / 355 degrees fahrenheit, fan-forced).
- Grease three baking trays.
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Add egg, treacle and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add milk and sift in all of the dry ingredients except the coconut. Mix well.
- Now add the coconut and mix again.
- Form into small balls and place on a well greased baking tray. Flatten slightly with the top of your fingers if you prefer a flatter cookie.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until a golden colour.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on the trays before transferring cookies to a wire cooling tray.
Jaspa says
What do you mean by 1 cup of coconut can you please be more clear on what you mean by it.
Coconut:
Oil
Flower
Sugar
Milk
Flacks shredded or diced.
Any other type I've mist out.
Which one?.
Libby says
Hi! It's 1 cup of desiccated coconut. Thanks - I've also updated the recipe.
Belinda Fisher says
Hi. I'm wondering if I could substitute golden syrup for the treacle in this delicious recipe please ?
Libby says
Hi Belinda. I understand you can substitute the same amount of golden syrup for the treacle, however the flavour might be a little different. Let me know how you go!
Happy cooking!