From the Jane Austen Centre website, these cookies are “claimed to have been served by Dolley Madison to her husband James Madison,” which puts them in the 1810s.

2 cups butter
¾ cup milk
4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
10 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
10 egg whites, beaten
Flour to suit

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and sugar in large wooden mixing bowl. Stir in custard-like egg yolks. Follow this by lightly stirring in stiffly beaten egg whites. Add milk. Dissolve baking soda in a little boiling water and blend with other ingredients. Lastly add cinnamon and blend. Add flour until dough gets to a workable consistency. Bake for 100-12 minutes (cookies won’t change color).

These are best with syllabub!!