If you’ve never thought to put cereal or marshmallows into cookies, you may wish to rethink that.
I’ve made plenty of Rice Krispies Bars and Chocolate Candy Cereal Bars with with cereal and marshmallows, but have never put them into cookies.
Why not? I have no idea. But there was no time like the present to start.
Here are my candid thoughts and notes about the cookies and recipe, which is from Christina Tosi’s Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook. I am posting it as part of the Milk Bar Mondays group I’m part of and a half dozen of us all made this recipe this week. Unfortunately, many of had some baking fails, ranging from mild to severe.
I wrote Tosi’s recipe (below) as it is written in her book. However, I halved the recipe because I didn’t need 15 to 20 large bakery style cookies just layin’ around. I yielded 9 large cookies, which was plenty. These things are about the size of soccer balls.
I followed her recipe to the T. I never follow recipes exactly, but I did in this case because I know what a stickler she is for directions and implies that if you don’t follow her recipes exactly, there’s no telling if it will work or not.
As long as I was going to put the time and energy into making these cookies, and all that butter and sugar too, I wanted the recipe to work.
I didn’t use measuring cups and exclusively used my food scale, weighing each and every ingredient down to the gram. It was literally an exact science.
You must chill the dough for at least one hour, or up to one week. I chilled my dough for approximately 44 hours. Almost two days.
I slightly patted down the domed tops of my cookie dough balls before chilling them, but didn’t make them as flat as hockey pucks which was a good call as these cookies needed all the help they could get in terms of staying puffy. They spread and flattened, dramatically. This was very disappointing as I watched them splooge and spread while they were baking. I wanted to beat on the door of my oven and scream, No, Don’t You Dare Spread! But they did anyway.
She suggests baking these cookies for 18 minutes, but when I made Compost Cookies using her recipe, I thought those cookies were on the cusp of being too overdone for my liking and she suggests a similar baking time in that recipe.
With that knowledge, I decided to start watching these cookies closely at about 13 minutes and I’m glad I did. My cookies were done and crispy at 13 1/2 to 14 minutes and at 18 minutes I would have had set off the smoke alarm. Butter burns in a hurry.
I love the addition of the Cornflake Crunch (you make a batch of that before you actually make the cookies) but don’t feel it’s worth the extra step. I will use crushed Frosted Flakes straight from the box next time if I feel the need for flaky sweet cereal in cookies.
I thought the cereal and marshmallows were great in combination, especially with the chocolate chips (I used regular-sized chocolate chips, not mini). Sort of like having smores within cookies. Look at those toasty marshmallows. A perfect gooeyfest.
The dough, like all her doughs, is heavy on the butter. The cookies are very buttery and rich, but I couldn’t get over their lack of puffiness.
A puffy, chewy cookie, with less crispiness and more softness is as important to me as taste and these weren’t as puffy or soft ‘n chewy as I had hoped.
And I honestly have no idea what I could have done differently. It’s interesting because when I googled this recipe, every blog post I came across for these cookies shows paper thin cookies that are of the less-than-perfectly-photogenic variety so I know I am not alone.
I researched online to find out the causes of flat or spreading cookies and the general issues contributing to the problem include:
dough too warm (mine was chilled for two days, not my problem)
high butter content cookies spread more easily (yes, that’s these)
large cookies don’t have as good of a chance at puffing compared to smaller cookies because of their sheer mass and size (check again, these are cookies are little bowling balls at 1/3 cup of raw dough, each)
Overall, I loved the combination of crunchy cereal that stayed fairly crunchy, the gooey melty marshmallows, and it’s fun to try new cookie recipes.
However, I have my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe (that rolls chocolate chip, subtle peanut butter, and oatmeal cookies all into one) and will probably add some fun add-in’s like cereal or marshmallows to that dough base in the future because I know it gives me the puff and chewiness I want. Not that these were awful or anything.
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Cornflake-Chocolate-Chip-Marshmallow Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 225 g butter, room temperature (16 tablespoons, 2 sticks)
- 250 g granulated sugar, 1 1/4 cups
- 150 g light brown sugar, 2/3 cup tightly packed
- 1 egg
- 2 g vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon
- 240 g flour, 1 1/2 cups
- 2 g baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon
- 1.5 g baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon
- 5 g kosher salt, 1 1/4 teaspoons
- ¾ recipe Cornflake Crunch which is 270 g, 3 cups, see below
- 125 g mini chocolate chips, 2/3 cup
- 65 g mini marshmallows, 1 1/4 cups
Cornflake Crunch
- 170 g cornflakes, haf of 12-ounce box, 5 cups
- 40 g milk powder, 1/2 cup
- 40 g sugar, 3 tablespoons
- 4 g kosher salt, 1 teaspoon
- 130 g butter, melted (9 tablespoons)
Instructions
Cornflake Crunch
- Heat oven to 275F. Pour the cornflakes in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands to one-quarter of their original size. Add milk powder, sugar, salt, and toss to mix. Add butter and toss to coat; butter will act as the glue binding the dry ingredients to the cereal creating small clusters.
- Spread the clusters on a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently when slightly cooled and chewed. Cool the cornflake crunch completely before storing or using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for 1 week; in the fridge or freezer, it wil keep for 1 month.
Making the Cookies
- Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute (do not walk away from mixer or overmix). Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Still on low speed, paddle in the cornflake crunch and chocolate chips until just incorporated, no more than 30 to 45 seconds. Paddle in marshmallows until just incorporated.
- Using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measure, portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the dough domes flat. Wrap sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies at room temperature – they will not hold their shape.
- Heat oven to 375F. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread, At the 18-minute mark, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown toward the enter. Leave them in the oven for an additional minute or so if they aren’t and still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
- Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Other Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook-Inspired Recipes
Cinnamon Bun Pie – I made a 10 minute cheater’s version and highly recommend it. Best way to doctor up a can of cinnamon rolls, ever.
Crack Pie – as addictive, decadent and fabulous as the name sounds. Labor-intensive, but worth it.
Buttery Toasted Cap’n Crunchies – I used her Cornflake Crunch idea as inspiration and the result is buttery, toasted cereal that tastes like one big bowl of buttered toast pieces. If you like buttered toast, this is your recipe. I prefer Cap’n Crunchies to the Cornflake Crunch as I think these have more flavor and more texture.
Compost Cookies – Potato chips in cookies, with the salty ‘n sweet combination, really is so good. Don’t knock it til you try it.
I hate it when you follow instructions and it doesn’t work out! But if they taste good, that is all that matters! What an interesting combination, love the sound of the cornflake crunch.
But if they taste good, that is all that matters! <-- I wish it was so easy. After spending all that TIME and energy into something and $10 bucks worth of ingredients (butter...LOL), I realllllllly like it if they are pretty enough that you could serve to a friend. These are "pass-able", but not my prettiest cookies ever or anything. I wish they were but sigh, nope. I didn't even want to give any to my daughter's teachers b/c I was embarrassed they were ugly!
These cookies may have been not-so-easy to photograph, but you did a stand out job on the photos, Averie! The cookies look good too, though maybe a little too labor intensive for my taste. Thanks for sharing. Also, I’m having a ChicWrap giveaway today that you should enter!
Thanks on the photo compliments, Georgia. You have gorg pics, always, and you know what a challenge, ahem…that certain foods can pose :)
I have that cookbook too, and have visited the actual store in NYC multiple times. My favorites are the crack pie and blueberries and cream cookie, but this cornflake and marshmallow one makes my list too. I was planning on making them and I’m glad to see your review re: flatness. I’ll see if I can tweak it, or I might choose a different recipe instead!
Ok please keep me posted if you make it, the results, and any tweaks used. I am really looking forward to seeing it if you post about it!
I made both cookies for a office bake sale and the Compost cookies fared so much better in the not-spreading-too- much area. I like the addition of the coffee grinds, but would prefer a softer chewier cookie. These were very crisp. If I pulled them a few minutes earlier, do you think this would give me my chewy cookie? Or is it just the nature of the recipe (they’re both the same cookie base)?
Everyone in our baking group had great luck with the Compost and not great luck with the Cornflake. I think that it’s an issue of the dough base itself re the chewy issue. Sure, they will be chewier if you underbake them but I think the dough has too much butter (makes things crisp) based on the amount of egg, sugar, and flour. I need to compare dough bases but I swear they are slightly different. Make this dough base or this one, either are super chewy! And customize to your liking :) I derived them from the Cooks Illustrated Choc Chip recipe which is great.
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies.html
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/peanut-butter-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies.html
Oh my gosh, you are not kidding when you say these are loaded with butter! 2 sticks for 9 cookies, plus another stick (slightly more, actually) in the add-in cornflake crunch! Goodness!
They are really thin, as you say. They look great, but I am surprised that they could spread THAT thinly. I’m with you: I like more more ‘oomph’ to my cookies – something with more substance to bite into.
Yeah it was such a heartbreak watching them turn into thin puddles after ALL That work! (and butter) :)
your photos make my sweet tooth sing! thanks for all the cookie tips, what you said about the man on the moon is so true! I find my cookies tend toward cakiness. Not enough butter is my guess from what you had to say, though I am always trying to make a cookie more healthy- as if…
I can never eat just one. oh well. i’ll accept the extra cushion one of these days. until then maybe i’ll try this recipe ;)
too much flour, too little butter, baking too long, too much baking soda/powder. Those would be my hunches.
Perfectly chewy & not a ridic amount of butter, by any means:
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies.html
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/peanut-butter-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies.html
oh my gosh—amazing as always:) i live about 5 avenues (10 minute walk) away from the Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC — Unfortunately I was only able to gobble up 2 of their treats before going gluten-free…..*sigh* Thanks for the fabulous recipe!!
Wow…what temptation living SO close to it in NYC!
Well, yours look WORLDS better than the first time I tried to make them! Honestly, I think Tosi has some great recipes and some that just aren’t to my taste at all. These cookies SOUND awesome, but even when I’ve bought them at Milk Bar, they’re just too buttery and sweet for me.
Also, when I tried Tosi’s recipe I used homemade marshmallows, and most of them just completely disintegrated. I’ve used homemade marshmallows in different cookies since without that happening, so I think it had more to do with the texture of the cookies and the way they spread.
So, I have since made similar cookies, but just adding chocolate, marshmallows, and cornflakes (not even frosted flakes or her “crunch”… just plain corn flakes) to a more traditional chocolate chip cookie base. You can select a recipe with a fairly high amount of butter, but not SO high (really, she calls for twice as much, proportionally speaking, as most other recipes I’ve got).
However! What sort of flour did you use? I’ve read that there is a note in her book – not in the recipe itself, but in the intro or something – that she prefers bread flour for cookies with a high butter content. This would probably have a lot to do with the integrity of the cookies (but I didn’t know this until after the first time I tried it, myself).
homemade marshmallows I would suspect would have some issues with the baking..not always, but maybe in conjunction with all that butter, they just melted really easily.
she calls for twice as much, proportionally speaking, as most other recipes I’ve got = YES, I know, me too. I will just use either of these two bases as I love them both
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies.html
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/peanut-butter-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies.html
And I used King Arthur white/bleached all-purpose flour. I didnt use “bread” flour; just regular flour but she says at one point in the book that it’s “okay”; yes she uses bread flour as her AP but doesnt tell others they have to as well. Ugh. So frustrating! LMK if you try any more of her recipes & results!
I’m not a big baker but I always enjoy seeing the beautiful photos of your treats and how you put a healthy spin on them
xo
not sure these are healthy but they were fun to make :)
Oh my goodness. You have one lucky family :) and also I really love your photography style! I must say, your blog is definitely on my top 3.. I love reading what you have to share and seeing your awesome photos!! Have a great week Averie!
-Tia
sewcalmama.blogspot.com
Thanks for the super sweet comment and your support, Tia! Such a nice comment to read..thank you!
These cookies look awesome. I cannot wait to get a free night so I can try making them! I never thought to include cereal!
Please LMK if you make them…the dough needs to be chilled for awhile just remember that step!
You did an amazing job of photographing these, you make them look good! One recipe I tried recently that was huge like these but stayed super puffy and soft were these Brown Butter and Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies – yum! https://hiddenponies.com/?p=3370
those cookies look so puffy & chewy..wow, delicious!
I’ve seen a few of this MBM post today so far and while I know everyone is upset about the spreading, they still look fabulous to me! It’s probably a case of that “I didn’t make them so they’re instantly 100x better” thing. :)
they were good, but after ALL that work (none of these Tosi recipes are just “throw together” recipes) I so wanted total success. They’re “fine”, just not what I was hoping for :(
I really enjoyed eading this post and getting your two cents on Tosi’s original recipe, Averie! It’s interesting… I honestly do not know what could make these cookies puffy. They look fabulous, nonetheless… but I too prefer puffy, fluffy, chewy cookies. I figure you could get a similiar cookie by using the Cooks Illustrated chewy cookie recipe and adding frosted flakes as a shortcut (like you suggest), choc chips, and marshmallows. And while this recipe calls for softened butter, I’d brown the butter to maybe get the “buttery-ness” her original cookie has.
My favorite cookie add ins are butterscotch chips, pretzels (loooooooove salty sweet), anything peanut buttery, and white chocolate. My favorite cookie of all time though… are oatmeal raisin cookies. :)
Both of these are inspired by the C.I. recipe
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies.html
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/10/peanut-butter-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies.html
Glad you like my baking thoughts. I went into lots of detail about dough…but for anyone who actually *Reads* this type of post, it’s a fairly serious baker and I like getting a discussion going about the cookie nitty-gritty!
Ask anyone around me… cookies and the art of baking them is my favorite conversation topic… I think my family and friends want to kill me lol. Sooooo I LOVE reading your thoughts on dough, baking, etc all the time Averie!! :)
Your cookies look like they turned out great! I had almost all the same experiences as you but I need to weigh my ingredients next time I make these (and there will be a next time!) I think this was one of my favorite recipes we’ve made so far…the gooey, sweet, crunchy, buttery cookies were hard to resist!!
I’ll take more cinnamon bun pie! And anything was better for you than your last week’s recipe with the pistachio paste situation and the blown Vita! I am still getting over that one, FOR you!