The Cornflake Cookie

Just when I started to get really comfortable with my break from blogging, I came across and mastered a recipe that must be shared. If you are familiar with this blog, then you're in the know that I bake 10-12 different types of cookies every Christmas to share with my work fam, my real family and all my dear friends in between. I like to make some crowd favorites every year, like my grandmother's anise cookies and oatmeal cream pies (most requested), but I also like to introduce new cookies every year to challenge myself and my family's palates.

I discovered this cookie on one of my many trips to New York City. Milk Bar is known for turning everyday desserts into decadent treats. How do you make a chocolate chip cookie even better? Go to Milk Bar and try the cornflake cookie filled with chocolate chips, marshmallows and cornflakes. But not just any cornflakes, you need cornflakes that have been slow roasted in the oven with butter, sugar, etc. That's the game changer for this cookie.

Milk Bar has a cookbook with a recipe for this cookie as it is one of their greatest hits. From first look, it doesn't seem like it would be that difficult as the ingredients are simple, but I saw adaptations from several other bloggers that indicated that it was harder that it looked to create a soft-batch cookie with marshmallows intact. Below is my adaptation. It took me several tries to get this version to be consistent, so I really recommend you learn from my experiences. Here's my lessons:

1. Crisco takes precedence over butter. Listen, I love butter. As you will see below, I use a lot of it in the cornflake mixture but for the actual cookie dough I recommend using a butter-flavored Crisco (with 2 tablespoons of water) stick instead of the two sticks of butter the original author states. If you don't know this already, butter melts faster at a high temperature compared to other alternatives. And even though you refrigerate the dough to help the cookie keep it's structure when baking, I found that when I tried using the two sticks of butter, the cookie morphed into a flat blob in the oven.

2. Parchment paper trumps silicon baking mats. I tried using my beloved silicon mats, but they left me with flat, crunchy cookies. I don't know the science behind this one as I've never had this happen to me before, but I had no problem when I used parchment paper instead.

3. Plain cornflakes are good, but frosted flakes were better. The original recipe just calls for cornflakes. I used plain ones the first few times I made it and the cookies were delish! I swapped frosted flakes in the last few times and I noticed that they crisped more in the oven and added a nice balance of sweet and salty so if you have frosted flakes on had, use them.

4. Mini chocolate chips are a big deal. I don't normally have mini chocolate chips on hand because my thought is go big or go home on chocolate, but I must say they add small bursts of chocolate throughout the cookie so that you always have the perfect bite of chocolate, marshmallow and crunch. Run, don't walk to the grocery store and grab a bag of mini semi-sweet.

5. And finally, one hour in the 'frig was ok, but overnight was best. The ingredients in the cookie need to chill if they are going to survive in the oven. If you are not in a rush, I recommend giving them 6-8 hours to rest in the refrigerator.

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Cornflake Cookies

Cornflake Crunch Ingredients :

• 5 Cups Cornflakes or Frosted Flakes

• 1/2 Cup Milk Powder/Dry Milk

• 3 Tbsp Sugar

• 1 tsp Kosher Salt

• 9 Tbsp Butter, Melted

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 1 Stick Crisco, butter flavored

• 2 Tbsp Water

• 1 1/4 Cups Sugar

• 2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar

• 1 Egg

• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 2 Cups Flour

• 3/4 tsp Baking Powder

• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

• 1 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

• 3 Cups Cornflake Crunch

• 2/3 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

• 1 1/4 Cups Mini Marshmallows

Yield: 20 Cookies Prep Time: 2 Hours, 40 Minutes Bake Time: 8 Minutes

Cornflake Crunch Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275°F.

2. Pour the cornflakes into a medium bowl and using your hands, crush until they are about half of their original size. Add the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Add the melted butter and toss to coat.

3. Spread mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the mixture looks toasted. Cool completely on baking sheet before using in dough; about one hour.

Cookie Directions:

1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat Crisco, water and sugars in a stand mixer on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary, add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the mixture. Beat on low speed for one minute until incorporated; scrape down the sides as necessary.

4. Add the cornflake crunch and mix on low speed for one minute. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed for 45 seconds. Finally, add the marshmallows and mix until just incorporated.

5. Grab your parchment-lined cookie sheet; You will use it to stack your cookies for refrigeration. Using a two and three-quarter ounce cookie scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring spoon, scoop the dough out and portion onto the cookie sheet. All the cookies should fit on one, large cookie sheet. Gently pat the tops of the cookies flat and then wrap the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

6. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line more cookie sheets with parchment paper and arrange cookie dough at least 4 inches apart; I recommend six cookies on one, large cookie sheet. It is important to use parchment paper as using anything else will cause the cookies to melt too fast and the marshmallow to melt into the cookie batter. Bake for eight minutes or until the cookies are browned on the edges and slightly browned toward the centers. Cool the cookies completely on the sheets before removing. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for five days at room temperature or one month in the freezer. Enjoy!