This recipe has been a firm favourite in our house since I was a little girl. It originally came from a cookbook that came free with Bournville cocoa in the 1960s. Back then butter was expensive so most of the recipes use margarine which lends itself to dairy free products perfectly.

The joy of this recipe certainly comes from baking with the kids. Its a really child friendly recipe. From its simple mixing, and rolling the dough in your hands; to rolling the oats before squishing them on the tray. It makes for the best kind of messy play, all the fun but with a delicious product at the end.

Ingredients

4oz dairy free margarine

2oz caster sugar

few drops of vanilla extract

4oz plain flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

Rolled oats

Glace cherries

Method

Preheat  oven to 180°C and grease a baking tray

Cream the fat and sugar until light and fluffy

Add the Vanilla extract

Sieve the dry ingredients, then stir into the mix

Shape about a tsp worth of mix into a ball

Roll in the oats, then place on a baking tray and flatten slightly

Place 1/4 of a glace cherry on the top

Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until they are starting to look darker, and baked on the top.

Leave to cool on the baking tray for at least 5 mins before transferring to a cooling rack. (this is because they harden after leaving the oven, so if you move them too quickly they may fall apart.)

Once cooled, enjoy them, but be aware, these are incredibly moreish.