Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies are loosely based on Christina Tosi’s famous cookie with simplifications and improvements! I love the flavor combination of these cookies made famous by Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi – but the cookie recipe is notoriously finicky. I’ve tested and retested and simplified the recipe to make it easy for you to make! The chunks of sweetened cornflake clusters, the gooey marshmallow center, and the chocolate chips will be your new favorite flavor combination! They are sweet, salty, gooey, and crunchy. And mildly addictive! The cornflake crunch in each bite is a real treat.
If you love a sweet-and-salty, chewy-and-crunchy combination, these cookies are for you. These Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies are loosely based on Christina Tosi’s famous Milk Bar cookies, with a few simplifications and improvements that make them much easier to make at home.
I have loved the flavor combination of cornflakes, marshmallow, and chocolate ever since I first tried the original. There’s just something about it that works so well. The sweetened cornflake clusters add an amazing little crunch, the marshmallow gets gooey and the chocolate chips make the whole thing decadant.
But to be real, the original recipe is very finicky. In my opinion it is way too complicated and has the wrong ratio of butter in the recipe. So I tested and retested these until I came up with a version that gives you all of that delicious flavor and texture without quite so much fuss. And I am very happy with how they turned out.
What makes these cookies so good?
The magic is really in the combination of textures: a classic, buttery chocolate chip cookie base with sweet, crunchy cornflake clusters mixed throughout. Then there is the gooey marshmallow center that adds a whole new level of texture. They are sweet, salty, gooey, crunchy, and chewy all at the same time.
The cornflake crunch in each bite is my favorite part. It’s unexpected and makes these feel like something a little more special than your average chocolate chip cookie.
A few tips for making them
Don’t skip the cornflake clusters. They’re what give these cookies their signature crunch. The cornflakes get coated in a buttery, sweet mixture before being baked into little crunchy clusters. Once they’re mixed into the cookie dough, you get that perfect crunch in every bite.
Only put marshmallows in the middle, and form the dough around them. If you put the mini marshmallows all throughout the dough, they can burn and dissolve. To get that gooey center, make the dough without the marshmallows, then scoop the dough into balls. Flatten each dough ball and put a couple mini marshmallows in the center. Form the dough around the marshmallows and pack it into a ball shape.
Watch the baking time. These cookies are best when the centers still look slightly domed when you pull them from the oven. They’ll continue to set as they cool, leaving you with a soft, chewy marshmallow center and crispier edges.
Let them cool on the baking sheet. This is the hardest part, but giving them a few minutes to set helps the cookies hold together and gives the marshmallow time to settle.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! These cookies are a great candidate for making ahead because you bake them from frozen. Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet freeze the dough balls until you’re ready to bake them.
Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Cornflake Crunch (can make ahead of time)
- 6 cups cornflakes cereal
- 1/2 cup malted milk powder (I used the Carnation brand)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups white flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 3 cups chocolate chips (for this recipe I use semisweet, to offset the sweetness of the marshmallow)
- 1 bag (10 oz.) mini marshmallows
Instructions
Cornflake Crunch
- This takes 25-30 minutes to make. If you will have limited time when prepping your cookies, you can make this cornflake crunch up to 3 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container or ziploc bag so it's ready to use when you make the cookies.
- To begin, preheat your oven to 250℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Next, measure out your cornflakes and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- On top of the cornflakes, add the sugar, malt powder, and salt. Mix well with two large spoons to combine.
- Once combined, slowly pour melted butter evenly over the mixture and toss well with two spoons to combine.
- Pour cornflake mixture out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Once baked, remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 20 minutes before mixing into the cookie dough. If it's too hot in the dough it can melt the chocolate chips.(Alternately you can let cool and then store in an airtight container until ready to make the dough.)
Making the Cookies
- When ready to make the cookie dough, cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy looking.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture and cream. Then add the chocolate chips and mix on low until incorporated.
- Next, add in the cornflake crunch mixture and mix on low speed. A lot of the cornflake pieces will break, but that's okay. They taste delicious crumbled up in the cookie dough.
- If the stand mixer has a hard time incorporating all the cornflakes, you can remove the mixing attachment and finish mixing with a large wooden spoon.
- Once dough is mixed, scoop large spoonfuls (a cookie scoop helps) of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. For large cookies make the dough size about 1/4-1/3 cup.
- Once dough is scooped, use the palm of your hand or the back of a spatula to flatten each dough ball.
- Place 3-4 mini marshmallows in the middle of each flattened dough ball, then fold the dough around the marshmallows and form the dough back into a ball (with the marshmallows at the center).
- Once marshmallows are in the center of each dough ball, you need to freeze the dough until solid. This will take at minimum 25 minutes (but you can also freeze overnight or longer, if stored in an airtight container or ziploc bag).
- Once the dough is frozen solid, you are ready to bake these.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once preheated, place frozen cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart from each other, so they have room to spread.
- Bake for 13-16 minutes until tops are set and edges are slightly golden. When you remove from oven, there still should be a slight hump in the center of the cookie.
- Once they are done baking, let rest/finish baking on the cookie sheet for about 15 minutes, to set.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
These cookies have quickly become one of my favorite twists on a chocolate chip cookie; we have made them so many times in the last month! They’re familiar enough that everyone loves them, but the cornflakes and marshmallow make them feel completely different. If you make them, be sure to tag me @plumstreetcollective on Instagram. Happy Baking!
