Inspired by my love of Southern cornbread and also the simple joy of adding salty crunchy things to cookies, these Whipped Cornbread Cookies are a force, y’all. It’s a great cookie, to me, just given my obsession with salty-sweet flavor combos. The salty cornflake crunch is an adaptation of the famous mix by Milk Bar, used in their marshmallow cornflake cookies.

In This Post

Cornbread Cookies: Tips and Tricks

Why do I call them “whipped” cookies? So, in this recipe, I’m asking you to cream/whip the butter and sugars together for a good little while (at least 8 minutes). I learned from watching a baking show, that it’s important to do that because it affects the final texture of the cookies, and contributes heavily to world peace. Kidding. Just seeing if anyone is actually reading this. Apparently “one mistake most home bakers make is that they never cream together their butter and sugars for long enough…” So let’s just go ahead and do that here, yes?

Why milk powder? Milk powder is a great ingredient to keep around in your baking pantry, as it adds a lovely toasty note to the cornflakes that would be missing otherwise. Here, we’ll add it to the skillet of melty butter, cornflakes, salt, and sugar to create what I think is the best thing since slice-n-bake cookies.

What type of corn meal should you use? For these cookies, look for basic, fine yellow cornmeal. This will lend a very “cornbread” like hue to the cookies, which we really want here. White cornmeal is also available and so is cornmeal in plenty of other sizes/textures. But for this, the basic yellow stuff is golden. Ha.

What is “Creaming” and why do we do it?

Creaming butter and sugar before adding other ingredients like flour and eggs dissolves the sugar using the water contained within the butter, removing grittiness and ensuring that whatever you’re baking will have the right texture. This process also beats air pockets into the butter, lightening the structure of the mixture. In a hot oven, those air bubbles will expand, giving your baked goods the proper height and rise. Eggs and flour can be easily over-mixed, so taking the time to cream butter and sugar before adding other ingredients ensures that your batter or dough won’t split or lose its structure.
https://www.nelliesfreerange.com/blog/how-to-cream-butter-and-sugar

What you’ll need

As with most of my cookie doughs, I sneak a little bit of molasses into these cornbread cookies. This gives them wonderful flavor – a deeper, more caramel-ish note. The rest of the dough recipe reads much like a standard sugar cookie, save for the very conspicuous addition of cornmeal. This gives the cookies a gorgeous texture and an undeniably “cornbread” vibe.

To. Die. For.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup brown sugar (light or dark)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (minimum)

1 egg

2 teaspoons molasses

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup cornmeal

½ teaspoon baking soda

Half teaspoon salt

⅔ cup white chocolate chips

For the cornflake crunch

4 cups corn flakes cereal

⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered milk

3 TBSP granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

How to make these Cornbread Cookies

This recipe is very standard-op, so far as cookies go. We’ll cream together the butter with the sugars for a good long while and the go about adding the egg, vanilla (lots of it), and molasses. Then, we’ll just sift the dry ingredients right over top (we’re talking about the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt). Making cookies with cornmeal is SUCH the move, guys. The texture! The color!

Anyway. Next, we’ll fold in the white chocolate and cornflake crunch and that’s it.

You might notice that I’m asking you to freeze the dough for 15 minutes prior to baking. This is something you also do in my favorite chocolate chunk cookies. Reason being? It prevents the cookies from spreading and thinning out too much during baking. They’ll stay together better for you this way.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer (paddle attachment), cream the butter with the sugars for at least 8 minutes (this makes a difference!). Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses and cream for another minute or so.
Sift over the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and about half of the corn flake crunch (below; use as much as you like, honestly). Roll into evenly sized balls, allotting about 1/4 cup of dough for each. Place them on the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just done (golden around the edges, and still soft in the centers. Press the cookies down a little bit when they’re out of the oven, to help shape and flatten them (don’t burn yourself). They’ll fully set once cooled. Let the cookies cool and firm for at least 10 minutes before transferring elsewhere. Store covered or wrapped in a cool, dry place for up to 5 days.

To make the salty cornflake crunch:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the butter, corn flakes, milk powder, sugar, and salt. get it all nice and shiny/coated and then pour onto a large baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until very crunchy and golden brown in color; about 12 to 15 minutes. You can store any leftovers for up to a week (you’ll have leftovers and they make the very best bowl of guilty-pleasure cereal you will ever have).