Yummy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

A Chocolate Chip Cookie with Corn Flake Crunch

This is the chocolate chip cookie for people who think the originals are too soft. Two cups of corn flakes cereal get folded into the dough alongside the chocolate chips, where they shatter into thousands of tiny crisp pockets that give every bite a crunch standard cookies simply can’t deliver.

The corn flakes don’t fully soften during baking. Some bits hold their crackle while others mellow into the dough, creating a layered texture that’s part cookie, part candy bar. The brown-sugar-and-shortening base bakes up firm at the edges with a slightly chewy center, the right backdrop for the cereal crunch.

Using all brown sugar instead of a mix gives the cookies their deep molasses note, balancing the sweetness from the chocolate chips. Two tablespoons of milk replaces the moisture you’d normally get from extra butter, keeping these on the crisp end of the spectrum.

Pro Tips

• Crush the corn flakes lightly with your hands before folding in. Whole flakes break unevenly and leave huge crunch pockets in some cookies and none in others.
• Don’t overbake. The recipe specifically warns against this, since corn flake cookies can go from crisp to scorched in under a minute.
• Use vegetable shortening as called for. Butter would melt the corn flakes too quickly during baking and lose the crunch.
• Cool 2 minutes on the pan before transferring to foil. They firm up dramatically as they cool.

Variations

• Swap corn flakes for crushed Rice Krispies, granola, or pretzel pieces for a different crunch profile.
• Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for a nutty kick.
• Drizzle cooled cookies with melted white chocolate for a bakery-style finish.