Crispy cornflake cereal gives these cornflake cookies their name—and their signature crunch!—but you’ll also love the chopped nuts, sweet dried apricots, and fantastic chewy texture.
Cornflake cookies are a nostalgic treat that combines the crunch of cornflake cereal with toasty nuts and apricots, all in a buttery, chewy cookie. The cornflakes add a delicate corn flavor to the mix, but this is really a cookie that’s all about texture and that contrast between crisp, chewy, and crunchy.
Why You’ll Love This Cornflake Cookie Recipe
- Something different. Chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies are a delight, but when you want a change of pace, cornflake cookies are the perfect treat. They have a one-of-a-kind mix of flavors and textures!
- Easy to make. Cornflake cookies are an easy drop cookie recipe—just mix the dough, scoop it, and bake. There’s nothing fussy or complicated here!
- Perfect for snacking. Some cookie recipes feel like a decadent dessert, but cornflake cookies are quite snackable. (Trust me – this can be dangerous!) The apricots, corn flakes, and nuts remind me a little bit of trail mix, with the crispy cornflakes standing in for granola.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- All-purpose flour – Here’s how to measure flour for cookies.
- Baking powder and soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Learn more: Unsalted or Salted Butter: Which is Better for Baking?
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar – You can use dark brown sugar for a more pronounced molasses flavor, or light brown. Here’s more about the difference between light and dark brown sugar.
- Egg – Let this come to room temperature with the butter.
- Vanilla extract – Use a high-quality store-bought brand or make your own vanilla extract.
- Cornflakes – Lightly crush them; you want them to retain some texture for these cornflake cookies.
- Nuts – Such as pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Dried apricots – Chop these into small pieces.
How to Make Cornflake Cookies
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Finish the dough. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the cornflakes, nuts, and apricots.
- Form the cookies. Using one tablespoon of dough per cookie, roll them into balls and place onto the prepared baking sheet with about 2 inches between the cookies.
- Bake. Place one baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Repeat with the remaining cookies
- Cool. Let the cornflake cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them directly to the wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Success
- Soften the butter. This recipe calls for softened butter, which helps create the perfect texture for these cookies. It also makes it easier to cream the butter and sugar together. Learn more: How to Soften Butter
- Crush the cornflakes a bit, but don’t pulverize them. Lightly crushed cornflakes add texture to the cookies. Be careful not to crush them into fine crumbs, as this won’t give you the crispiness we want in these cornflake cookies.
- Use a cookie scoop. It will make quick work of portioning the dough and ensure your cookies are all the same size so they’ll bake evenly. Use a #50 or #60 scoop for these cookies.
- Don’t reuse hot baking sheets. If you have to use the same baking sheet for all your batches, you’ll need to let it cool completely. Adding cookie dough to a hot baking sheet can result in burnt bottoms and flat cookies due to spreading. Refrigerate the cookie dough while you wait for the baking sheet to cool.
- Know the basics. Read over my baking tips for beginners if you’re new to baking.
Variations
- Toasted coconut will add a tropical twist to your cornflake cookies.
- Other dried fruit, like cranberries or raisins, can be substituted for the apricots.
- Butterscotch or peanut butter chips can be used instead of nuts if you’re not a fan.
- Chocolate chips work too, although I recommend milk chocolate or white chocolate chips to keep them from overpowering the delicate flavor of the cornflakes.
How to Store
Cornflake cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can freeze cornflake cookies both before and after baking. To freeze the dough, scoop it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for about an hour. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, simply thaw the dough balls in the refrigerator before baking as directed, or bake them from frozen with a few extra minutes tacked onto the baking time.
To freeze baked cornflake cookies, let them cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Creative Cookie Recipes
Cornflake Cookies
This easy recipe for cornflake cookies has crispy cereal folded into the dough for a subtle toasted corn flavor and irresistible crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (56g) corn flakes, lightly crushed
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (such as pecans, walnuts, or almonds)*
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Gently fold in the corn flakes, nuts, and apricots.
- Using about a tablespoonful of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and place onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.
- Bake one pan at a time for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Other add-in options: toasted coconut, other dried fruit, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips
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