Low Sugar Cornflake Cookies

My grandmother lived in the era before Facebook and Pinterest when secret, family recipes remained exactly that. I admit I wasn't at all perturbed that my gran's leather-like brisket and oily chicken recipes were likely to be forever lost - real cooking was never her forte - but I was determined that her famous, jeweled, cornflake cookies would be enjoyed for generations to come. With this in mind, I borrowed an old typewriter as a teenager, and painstakingly tapped out the formulation for what we then called Post Toastie Biscuits, and I continue to use this treasured, yellowing, recipe relic always. No doubt you will too. Naturally sweetened with dried fruit instead of copious amounts of sugar, these jeweled, crunchy treats offer a wonderful contrast of color and texture, and surely belong in your archive of favorite family recipes too. Make them now and, just as my gran did, secure your place in culinary history.

115 grams soft butter 2 tablespoons sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork 1/2 cup raisins OR cranberries or both 1/2 cup chopped dates 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour* 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups lightly crushed cornflakes 1: Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg and vanilla. 2: Add the flour and mix well to make a dough then stir in the dates, raisins/cranberries, almonds and half the cornflakes. 3: Roll mixture into small balls, roll each ball in the remaining lightly crushed cornflakes to coat well, place on a baking tray and flatten slightly with a fork, then bake at 180 C for approximately 15 to 20 minutes till lightly golden. COOK'S NOTES: I buy whole dates and chop these as the blocks of dates are a bit too sticky. You can add chopped glace cherries to the mix too but it makes them sweeter. Replace self-raising with regular white flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder if preferred. Margarine can replace butter if you must.