diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index f3205f67..8a1aa375 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ if(BUILD_ICONV)
 endif(BUILD_ICONV)
 
 if(BUILD_BUILTIN_CONFIG)
-	 set(optional_sources ${optional_sources} conf_cookie.c)
+	 set(optional_sources ${optional_sources} conf_cookie.cc)
 endif(BUILD_BUILTIN_CONFIG)
 
 add_executable(conky ${conky_sources} ${optional_sources})
diff --git a/src/conf_cookie.c b/src/conf_cookie.cc
similarity index 92%
rename from src/conf_cookie.c
rename to src/conf_cookie.cc
index 6dc9e3ff..14e40cfe 100644
--- a/src/conf_cookie.c
+++ b/src/conf_cookie.cc
@@ -61,14 +61,13 @@ conf_read(void *cookie, char *buf, COOKIE_LEN_T size)
 #endif /* defined(HAVE_FOPENCOOKIE) || defined(HAVE_FUNOPEN) */
 
 #if defined(HAVE_FOPENCOOKIE)
-static cookie_io_functions_t conf_cookie = {
-	.read = &conf_read,
-	.write = NULL,
-	.seek = NULL,
-	.close = NULL,
-};
+static cookie_io_functions_t conf_cookie;
 FILE *conf_cookie_open(void)
 {
+	conf_cookie.read = &conf_read;
+	conf_cookie.write = NULL;
+	conf_cookie.seek = NULL;
+	conf_cookie.close = NULL;
 	return fopencookie(NULL, "r", conf_cookie);
 }
 #elif defined(HAVE_FUNOPEN)
diff --git a/src/conf_cookie.h b/src/conf_cookie.h
index b58606fd..5458b465 100644
--- a/src/conf_cookie.h
+++ b/src/conf_cookie.h
@@ -3,14 +3,6 @@
 #ifndef _CONF_COOKIE_H
 #define _CONF_COOKIE_H
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-extern "C" {
-#endif
-
 FILE *conf_cookie_open(void);
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-}
-#endif
-
 #endif /* _CONF_COOKIE_H */