Cornflake peanut butter cookies are sweet, chewy and crunchy at once: golden cornflakes held together by a glossy peanut butter syrup. They are the no-bake treat for bake sales, holiday trays and afternoons when you want cookies and do not want to turn on the oven.
How to make cornflake peanut butter cookies: Heat sugar, light corn syrup and creamy peanut butter in a saucepan, stirring, until smooth and boiling. Take it off the heat, stir in vanilla, pour it over cornflakes and stir to coat. Scoop onto lined baking sheets right away and let the cookies cool completely.
Why You’ll Love It
- No oven. Everything happens in one saucepan and one big bowl.
- Five pantry ingredients. Cornflakes, peanut butter, corn syrup, sugar and vanilla. Sprinkles are optional.
- A big batch. One batch makes 36 cookies, enough for a party tray or a bake sale.
- Quick hands-on time. About 15 minutes of prep and 5 minutes at the stove, plus cooling.
Ingredient Notes
Cornflakes. Six cups of plain cornflakes. Measure them into a large bowl before you start the syrup, because there is no time to do it later.
Peanut butter. One cup of creamy peanut butter. It melts into the syrup and makes it smooth.
Light corn syrup. One cup. This is the sticky part that holds the flakes together.
Sugar. One cup of regular granulated sugar. It needs to melt fully in the pan.
Vanilla extract. One teaspoon, stirred in after the pan comes off the heat.
Sprinkles. Optional, and the recipe gives no amount. Use as many or as few as you like.
Ingredients
- 6 cups cornflakes
- 1 cup peanut butter, creamy
- 1 cup corn syrup, light
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkles, optional
How to Make Cornflake Peanut Butter Cookies
1. Prepare the sheets. Line two baking sheets with wax or parchment paper. Put the cornflakes in a large bowl.
2. Heat the syrup. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir as it cooks until the sugar melts and the mixture is smooth and comes to a boil.
3. Coat the cornflakes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the cornflakes and stir to coat them evenly.
4. Scoop promptly. Scoop 2-tablespoon portions, shape them into cookies and place them on the lined sheets. Add sprinkles immediately if you are using them.
5. Cool. Let the cookies cool completely before serving.
When to Take the Syrup Off the Heat
Take the pan off the heat as soon as the syrup comes to a boil. By then the sugar has melted and the mixture is smooth, and that is all it needs. Keep stirring the whole time it is on the burner so nothing sticks to the bottom.
After that, the clock is running. The syrup starts to firm up as it cools, so the cornflakes have to be coated and scooped while it is still warm and loose. Have the bowl of cornflakes and the lined sheets ready before you turn on the stove.
| Stage | What to look for | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| On the heat | Sugar melted, mixture smooth, just boiling | Pull the pan off the burner |
| Off the heat | Hot, glossy syrup | Stir in the vanilla, pour over the cornflakes |
| In the bowl | Every flake coated | Scoop and shape right away |
| On the sheets | Shaped cookies, still tacky | Add sprinkles now, then leave to cool |
Stir gently when you coat the flakes. Folding from the bottom of the bowl covers them evenly and keeps them from breaking into crumbs.
Tips for Success
Why are my cookies falling apart?
The flakes were not coated evenly. Stir from the bottom of the bowl until every cornflake is covered in syrup before you start scooping.
Why did the mixture harden in the bowl?
It cooled before it was all scooped. Work quickly once the syrup is poured, and line the sheets ahead of time so you can go straight from stirring to scooping.
How do I keep the cornflakes whole?
Fold them gently instead of stirring hard. Whole flakes give the cookies their crunch.
When do the sprinkles go on?
Immediately after you shape each cookie, while the surface is still sticky. Once the cookies cool, sprinkles will not stay on.
How Long Do They Take to Set?
The recipe says only to let the cookies cool completely, and it gives no number of minutes. The 20 minutes on the recipe card covers prep and cooking, not the cooling, so do not plan to serve them the moment the last one is scooped. They are ready when they are cool to the touch and hold their shape when you pick one up.
Variations
With sprinkles. Add them right after shaping for a holiday or birthday tray.
Plain. Leave the sprinkles off. The cookies are golden and glossy without them.
Paper choice. Wax paper and parchment paper both work for lining the sheets.
If you like the peanut butter in these cookies, try Peanut Butter Buckeyes for smooth peanut butter balls dipped in semisweet chocolate.
Storage & Reheating
These cookies are eaten at room temperature and are not reheated. Let them cool completely before you move or stack them. The recipe does not give a keeping time, so I will not guess at one here. Make them close to when you plan to serve them.
What to Serve With It
For a no-bake dessert tray, set these next to no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies and peanut butter and chocolate Rice Krispie treats. If your crowd likes peanut butter with chocolate, add chocolate peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies or chocolate peanut butter Rice Krispie cups. For a bigger dessert, there is peanut butter crunch lasagna or the slow cooker Amish peanut butter pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make cornflake peanut butter cookies without using corn syrup?
This recipe is written with light corn syrup, and it does not give a substitute or the amounts for one. I would rather tell you that than guess. Stick with the corn syrup here.
When should I stop heating the syrup, and how quickly should I coat and scoop the cornflakes?
Stop when the sugar has melted, the mixture is smooth and it has come to a boil. Stir in the vanilla, pour it over the cornflakes, stir to coat and scoop promptly, before the mixture cools and hardens.
Do these cookies go in the oven?
No. The syrup is heated on the stovetop and the cookies set as they cool on the lined sheets.
How big should each cookie be?
Scoop 2-tablespoon portions. At that size the batch makes 36 cookies.
Final Notes
I line both baking sheets and measure the cornflakes before the pan goes on the stove, because the scooping has to happen fast. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Cornflake Peanut Butter Cookies
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Ingredients
- 6 cups cornflakes
- 1 cup peanut butter creamy
- 1 cup corn syrup light
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with wax or parchment paper. Put the cornflakes in a large bowl.
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir as it cooks until the sugar melts and the mixture is smooth and comes to a boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the cornflakes and stir to coat them evenly.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon portions, shape them into cookies and place them on the lined sheets. Add sprinkles immediately if you are using them.
- Let the cookies cool completely before serving.
