Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies (No Bake!)

Chewy, sweet, salty and crunchy, this cornflake cookie recipe is a delicious treat! You only need five ingredients to make these gooey cookies, and it makes a super easy dessert.

 

Why We Love Cornflake Cookies

• Sweet, Chewy And Crunchy– Cornflakes may seem like a strange ingredient in a dessert but crunchy cornflakes make sweet and slightly salty cookies that are the perfect balance of sweet and crunch for the perfect combination!
• No Bake- I love no bake recipes for a quick and easy dessert, whether I planned ahead of time or not! These classic no bake cookies are also perfect for the holiday season.
• Prep time Is 15 Minutes– With no time in the oven, only a few minutes needed on the stovetop, and simple ingredients- these crunchy cookies come together fast.
• Use Forgotten Cereal– I have been known to grab the cereal from the back of the pantry that got stuck back there. Is this ever a problem in your house too, you only eat part of the box? As long as the cereal hasn’t gotten soft, no one knows the difference I promise!
• Let The Kids Help– These easy cookies are a great recipe to let the kids help. Kids love to stir and scoop, and it’s a delicious recipe for the whole family.

Ingredients For Cornflake Cookies

You need just a few basic ingredients for this recipe!

• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter– If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the sugar mixture. Salted butter is fine for this recipe also.
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter – You can also use crunchy peanut butter. If you use natural peanut butter that separates, make sure to mix the peanut butter really well before adding it to the cornflake cookie recipe.
• 3 cups corn flakes

How To Make Cornflake Cookies

1. Add sugar, corn syrup, and butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt butter while stirring with a rubber spatula over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves into the butter, about one to two minutes. (Do not boil the mixture, keep the temperature lower.)
2. Remove the pan from the burner and quickly add the peanut butter, stirring until fully mixed

3. Place cornflakes in a large bowl. Pour warm peanut butter mixture over cornflakes and mix gently until combined, being carefull not to crunch the cornflakes too much.

4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Scoop two tablespoon cookie balls and place on parchment paper. I find it is easier to use a cookie scoop to make the cookies even, but a spoon works too. Let the cookies completely cool, then enjoy!

Substitutions And Variations

Drizzle Chocolate– Drizzling warm, melted chocolate over these cookies before they set is a completely delicious addition. Semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips are my favorites, but milk chocolate chips or white chocolate works well too. If you like a good chocolate cookie, try these classic chocolate no bake cookie.

Add Sprinkles– After the cookies have been scooped, add a few sprinkles to the top of the cookies. This works perfect for customizing your cookies for any holiday like Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Fourth of July.

Mix In Nuts– This is a variation I haven’t tried myself, but want to because then these cookies will taste just like a Payday candy bar! Try mixing half of a cup of pecans or peanuts into this mixture when you add the salty peanut butter for a delicious mixture, yum.

Try Different Cereals– Chex mix, corn puffs (Like Kix), frosted cornflakes, don’t be afraid to mix up and try other kinds of cereal in these cookies with whatever you have in the pantry if you don’t have cornflakes. Try these similar homemade peanut butter cheerios for another great variation that you don’t even have to form into balls.

What Can I Substitute For Corn Syrup In This Cornflake Cookie Recipe?

I don’t always keep corn syrup around the house, it’s just not one of my favorite ingredients to cook with but sometimes it’s necessary to get the right texture in a recipe.

The original recipe for these cookies that I grew up with would typically call for corn syrup. If I have it in the house, I use it.

For when I don’t have corn syrup on hand, here are a couple of other ideas of ingredients you can substitute and still have chewy cornflake cookies, though they may feel slightly gooier using a swap.

• Maple Syrup– Maple syrup does have a specfic flavor, but can be swapped tablespoon for tablespoon with corn syrup. Your cookies will taste a little more mapley, but they will still be delicious.
• Honey– Honey has a similar sticky consistency, but it’s really important you keep the temperature low on the stove for honey. It will also give the cookies a slight flavor of honey, but less extra flavor then the maple syrup.

These two are my favorite substitutes, but this article has some more corn syrup substitution ideas.

How Do I Store These Cornflake Cookies?

Store cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for up to three days. After that, the cookies start to get a little too soft and you can tell they aren’t really fresh anymore.

You can also store these cookies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days. If storing them in the fridge I recommend letting them come to room temperature again before serving. Straight from the refrigerator, the texture is hard, but they are delicious once they come to room temperature.

Can You Freeze These Cornflake Cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these cornflake cookies and it can be a great hack to make them ahead of time! Typically these cookies will still taste fresh for up to three months. Let the cookies thaw on the counter until they come to room temperature before serving.

When I am storing these cookies to freeze, I’ll pop them in the refrigerator first so they firm up. Then I’ll store them in layers in a zip-top freezer bag with layers of wax paper or parchment paper in between so they don’t stick together.