Caramelized crunchy cornflakes, gooey marshmallow and creamy chocolate are what these dreamy cookies are made of.
This recipe requires a lot of love and an extra little step of caramelizing cornflakes, but let me tell you- IT'S WORTH IT. I've never had such a crunchy, buttery and gooey cookie before until making these. They're adapted from the Milkbar recipe, except I formulated them without eggs, dairy or gelatin (from the marshmallows).
Just the caramelized cornflake crunch alone is addicting to snack on, so I'll warn you now. They're a great take & bake dessert, and a delicious indulgent treat to enjoy for yourself or share with friends or family (but I totally won't judge if you want to bake them just for yourself, because I do the same. Treat yo' self!)
When I was researching different techniques and ingredients that are exclusive to Milkbar recipes, I found that Christina Tosi (the founder and creator of Milkbar) is very particular about a couple things. One being the 10 minute creaming method. This method is a standard method that is used to cream butters and sugars; however, Christina explains how crucial her 10 minute method is to achieve a perfect airy and emulsified butter/sugar mixture. I was skeptical at first, but the mixture is essentially doubled in size and whipped to perfection after the 10 minutes- so don't skip this step! The second tip I came across during my research was that all Milkbar cookies are made using bread flour. Bread flour contains a higher protein content than pastry flour or all purpose flour. I haven't tried this recipe with all purpose or gluten-free flour, so I cannot guarantee the results when substitutions are made- but if you try it, I'd love to know your results!
BAKING TIP: CREAMING YOUR BUTTERS AND SUGARS WILL HELP WITH AREATION AND EMULSIFICATION
IMPORTANT TIPS/TROUBLESHOOTING:
Tip #1:
I don't advise using a silicone baking mat for this recipe. Using parchment will crisp the bottoms and prevent unwanted spreading.
TIP #2:
Creaming the butters and sugars for a total of 10 minutes is VITAL. This is an adapted recipe from the Milkbar marshmallow cornflake cookies, and Christina Tosi is adamant about this step. It will aerate and emulsify everything together, and create the ideal final product.
TIP #3:
I had to do my best to utilize as many similar ingredients as possible to achieve the closest results to the original Milkbar recipe; this means I used bread flour instead of all purpose. Bread flour has a higher protein content and Christina Tosi uses this flour for all of her cookie recipes. If you use a different type of flour, I cannot guarantee the results. If you try this recipe with a different flour, I'd love to know your results!
MILKBAR MARSHMALLOW CORNFLAKE CRUNCH COOKIES
Prep time: Cook time: Yield:
30 Minutes 40 Minutes 10 Cookies
ingredients
For the Cornflake Crunch:
(56 g.)- 2 cups Cornflake Cereal
(11 g.)- 1 Tbsp. Raw Cane Sugar
(1.3 g.)- 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
(28 g.)- 2 Tbsp. Plant Based Butter, melted
For the Cookies:
(113 g.)- 1/2 cup Plant-Based Butter
(60 g.)- 1/3 cup Raw Cane Sugar
(71 g.)- 1/3 Organic Brown Sugar*
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
(12 g.)- 1 Tbsp. Unsweetened Applesauce
(120 g.)- 1 cup Bread Flour**
( 1.3 g.)- 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
(1 g.)- 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
(1.5 g.)- 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
(85 g.)- 1 cup Vegan Mini Marshmallows
(53 g.)- 1/3 cup Chocolate Chips
(92 g.)- 1 1/4 cups Cornflake Crunch
METHOD
Preheat oven to 275° F/ 135° C and line a small sheet pan with parchment paper.
Start making the cornflake crunch: Add cornflakes into a small mixing bowl and crush until about half of original size. Add sugar, salt and melted butter and toss to combine.
Evenly spread mixture onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool and set aside. To store for a long period of time, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.
For the cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and sugars for 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape sides and add vanilla and applesauce; cream for an additional 5 mins on medium-high speed. It should look super pale and fluffy.
In a separate small mixing bowl, add bread flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and evenly whisk together. Once the last 5 minutes of creaming is finished, add dry ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixer and pulse on low until halfway combined.
In the small mixing bowl used to combine the dry ingredients, measure and combine cornflake crunch, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips.
Add the mix-ins to the bowl of the stand mixer and pulse again for a few seconds until the dough is almost completely combined. Continue mixing by hand with a silicone spatula until everything is evenly combined and dispersed.
Using a 1/4 cup cookie scoop or measuring cup, scoop 10 balls of dough onto a small sheet pan with parchment. CHILL FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS, (or overnight)***
After dough has been chilled, preheat oven to 350°F/176° C and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place chilled dough balls onto prepared sheet pan and bake for about 21-23 mins, or until your cookies are golden on the bottom.
Let cool on sheet pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a couple days or in an airtight container/individually wrapped in the freezer for 1 month. Thaw on the counter for 1 hour to bring back to room temperature. (at room temperature, I prefer to heat them up in the microwave to melt the marshmallows again)
NOTES
*I use organic brown sugar since USDA Organic labeled sugars are processed without bone char. You can certainly make your own brown sugar with molasses and cane sugar, but it's essential to keep the acidity of the molasses- so I don't recommend subbing any other sugars for this.
**The original recipe from Milkbar calls for bread flour; this is what Christina Tosi uses for her cookie recipes. I have yet to try this recipe with All Purpose Flour, so I cannot guarantee the results when substitutions are made.
*** The cookies need to be chilled so the butter can solidify. This avoids your cookies from spreading too much.
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