These Crunchy Cornflake Chocolate Chip Cookies Are a Fun Twist on a Classic
This recipe from Christina Tosi’s new cookbook ‘All About Cookies’ bakes low and slow for maximum crunch.
Christina Tosi is not new to writing recipes. The James Beard Award winner’s first cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar, arrived in 2011 and became a New York Times bestseller. Her subsequent books include a whimsical exploration into all things cake, a kid-friendly baking book, and a treatise on her life at Milk Bar complete with savory recipes. Now, she’s tackling all things cookies—what she describes as “her first obsession.”
For Tosi, cookies were the stepping stone to her baking career. Her first moments in the kitchen, balancing on a step stool and covered in flour, were spent making cookies. She idolized her grandmothers, who helped her foster an appreciation for the art of cookie-making.
“Every holiday season, working in the ‘cookie factory’ that was my grandma’s kitchen, rolling out dough, cutting ornamental shapes, frosting, decorating… Life stood so joyfully still,” Tosi reminisces. “No wonder I’m a baker for a living.”
Unlike the time commitments of cakes, the fussiness of pastries, or the grandeur of a Thanksgiving pie, cookies are approachable and manageable, which adds to the appeal for Tosi. “Cookies are a true bakers’ medium because they have such a place in our everyday,” she says, listing off break room snacks, classroom bake sales, community gatherings, and more. “They are simple by comparison, humble, portable, and known worldwide.”
Crafting 100 cookie recipes—which is what’s within the pages of All About Cookies: A Milk Bar Baking Book—is a mighty feat. There are familiar classics, like milk bar pie bars and a crunchier version of the blueberries and cream cookie. Then there are entirely new innovations: a cookie inspired by buttered toast, one studded with Cookie Crisp cereal as chips and titled Cookie Cookies, and French toast cookies.
“The experience of [writing a cookbook] never gets old—it’s just as creatively thrilling and challenging,” Tosi says. “The best part of sharing recipes through a cookbook is hearing from people who have invited them into their lives, who have made them their own.”
Although cookies are easier to pin down than other baked goods, Tosi does have some tips to ensure even bakes and dreamy results. “A cookie is such a simple format, so a perfect cookie must speak to your soul with depth and breadth, pushing the limits of how much texture and flavor one bite can carry,” she explains.
The first tip is to follow this rule: good outside means good inside. That means starting with quality ingredients, whether it be butter, baking chips, cocoa, or sprinkles. From there, Tosi suggests tasting as you go and baking sample cookies to guarantee the oven temperature and baking time is functioning as it should before committing to an entire batch. Lastly, for expertly crunchy cookies—like her crunchy cornflake chocolate chip cookies—bake low and slow, and let them cool completely before diving in.
Crunchy Cornflake Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 30 smallish cookies
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
•¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (85 grams) light brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (75 grams) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon (8 grams) vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups (180 grams) flour
• 1 Tablespoon (7.5 grams) cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
• ¾ cup (150 grams) mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup (45 grams) Frosted Flakes cereal
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 275°F. Pan-spray or line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium-high for 4 minutes until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla and mix for 4 minutes.
3. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and paddle on low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds.
4. Paddle in the mini chocolate chips and Frosted Flakes and mix for 10 seconds until just combined.
5. Scoop the dough into 1- tablespoon balls onto the prepared pans 3 to 4 inches apart. (These cookies spread!)
6. Bake at 275°F for 25 minutes. These cookies won’t change color much, so make sure you set your timer. If they don’t turn out as crispy as you would like, bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer next time.
7. Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans, then transfer to a cooling rack. Share immediately unless you have enviable self-control. If you do have cookies left over, store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.