My childhood breakfast memories involve cereal. Weekend breakfasts included pancakes, but busy weekday breakfasts were a bowl of cereal and milk. My siblings and I sat crunching away at the kitchen table while mesmerized by the backs of the cereal boxes. There were prizes to win and points to collect. We each had our favorite cereal and our own box to covet. What was your childhood favorite cereal? Captain Crunch? Frosted Flakes? Cocoa Puffs? Use that favorite breakfast cereal to customize these crunchy Special Order Cereal Cookies.
The summer after my college freshman year, I flew home with no intention of staying there. I love my family and was happy to be with them….for a week or two. The taste of independence that going to school far from home had given me, made being at home less than optimal. My new friends and new life were not in my high school home town. There are rules to follow at home that aren’t your own. Plus, college students like to keep very strange hours. I say this from my own experience and because I have a college student son asleep on the couch as I write this. It is three o’clock in the afternoon. Point made.
I was welcome to travel that summer as long as I found a way to pay for it. That is why I donned a bright orange and red polyester uniform dress (this was a long time ago, folks) and went to work for Burger King. Some suggested I was better suited for Wendy’s, that being my actual name and having red hair, but Burger King hired me.
I took orders and worked the cash register. The position required minimal math skills and a knowledge of order lingo. For example, many people said they wanted a Coke when they meant they wanted a soda/soft drink. Is that a Southern thing? The order would go, “I’ll have a Whopper, fries, and a Coke. Make that Dr. Pepper.” I also had the misfortune to be asked constantly to sing the Burger King jingle. That was not in my job description but there were actually some customers who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The jingle at the time was, in fact, quite catchy. Burger King was marketing itself as a place where your food was made the way you wanted it, unlike McDonalds where you ate your food the way it was wrapped up or forget it. The jingle included the lines, “Hold the pickles. Hold the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset us. All we ask is that you let us do it your way…..” It was not the most stimulating job I ever held and I smelled like a french fry all summer, but I did make enough money for a bus trip.
If these Special Order Cereal Cookies had been baked by a fast food place, it would have been Burger King. They are the “do it your way” cookie. The customizing begins with your choice of cereal. If you like a cereal, you will like it in this cookie. My photos that show a mostly chocolate cookie were made with Cocoa Puffs. The more marbled cookie was made with Frosted Flakes.
The customizing continues with your choice of texture. Vegetable shortening (recommended for desert safe care packages) produces a cookie that is crunchy right from the start and maintains its crunch over time. Using butter creates a cookie that starts out with crunchy edges and a chewy center. Over time, the butter cookies lose the chewiness. My taste testers each had their favorites. I suggest you add your favorite sugary cereal and “do it your way”. Singing the jingle while baking Special Order Cereal Cookies is optional.
You can read more about desert safe ingredients and find an index of all of the desert safe recipes on The Monday Box by clicking here.
Cereal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 cups sugary cereal Frosted Flakes, Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Krispies, etc.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter margarine, or vegetable shortening (butter flavor). Butter produces a chewier cookie that gets crunchy over time. Shortening produces a crunchy cookie.
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ***Desert safe adaptations: Use vegetable shortening. ***
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute. Stir. Continue heating for 10 second intervals, stirring inbetween, until completely melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place cereal in a large zip lock bag and crush into tiny pieces with a rolling pin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter/margarine/vegetable shortening, until fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix for at least 3 minutes.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Stir in the crushed cereal.
- Gently fold in the melted chocolate, leaving ribbons of chocolate throughout the dough.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon sized (golf ball) balls of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Slightly under-baking is recommended for long distance care packages.)
- Remove cookies from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for at least 1 week. Cookies will get crunchier over time.
Notes
Nutrition
More crunchy,chewy cereal cookie recipes are just a click away! Try these!
Karen
Special K with coconut, almonds and cranberries, switch to White Chocolate, best cookies ever by 30 people at a Xmas party. Thanks for the recipe.
The Monday Box
Fabulous! Your Special Order sounds great, Karen!
Shiloh Barkley
These look fantastic!
themondaybox
Thanks, Shiloh! They are fun cookies because you can customize them with your favorite cereal which changes up the flavor (and sometimes color) while providing a great crunch! I hope you enjoy them. 🙂
BruCrew Life
These cookies sound amazing!! I love that you can make them with your choice of cereal!! Great idea!! 😉
themondaybox
Thanks, Jocelyn! Another solution to the overfilled baking/cereal cabinet…..bake it up and eat it ! 🙂 I think kids especially like that they get to special order, but personalized cookies are fun at any age. 🙂
riversidebaking
Thanks for the follow back, I found your blog through a cookie pinterest link and loved your concept and posts. Can’t wait to try one of your recipes 😀
themondaybox
Thanks, Stephanie! Pinterest is amazing! I have found lots of great recipes and great blogs from my Pinterest addiction. 🙂 I am looking forward to following your baking adventures. Those Biscoff bars on your home page had me hooked immediately!
Monica
Hi Wendy – loved reading that story! : ) I haven’t had cereal cookies yet but I bet it’s really good. I loved Frosted Flakes as a child and I’d love to try it in a cookie! My son would love it, too, I’m sure.
themondaybox
Thanks, Monica! The Frosted Flake cookies were my favorite. I had to buy sugary cereal just for these cookies. 🙂 We don’t often eat dry cereal, and when we do it is unsugary stuff like Cheerios and Wheat Chex. But all of the sugary cereals make fabulous add-ins and toppings for cookies, bars, and ice cream!
Ashley
haha My thought process was pretty much the same after my freshman year away at college… I had no desire to spend the entire summer in my home town (no where near as exciting as college I thought!). These cookies are so fun – especially since you can use whatever cereal you want. And singing while baking is a must – well at least in my kitchen : )
themondaybox
Thanks, Ashley! My new little sheltie must never have heard singing in his previous life. Every time I sing in the kitchen, he cocks his head to the side and gives me the funniest look. At least he doesn’t howl. 🙂
shannon
Wendy, i know from experience that cereal cookies are incredibly delicious; i would bet these are no exception! I like the customizable element to them, also; you don’t always get to do that with a baked good, but being able to tailor them to your own personal cereal loves is delightful. I love the way they came out, especially the marbled ones.
that whole “coke/soda” thing is, from what i know, a Southern thing. more specifically, i think “coke” stands for any brown soda? i’ve at least never heard it applied to anything but those. geographical differences with words are fun; like how my friend from wisconsin (whom i went to middle and high school with) never stopped referring to soda as “pop.” 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Shannon! I was getting tired of chocolate chips and cereal offered so many possibilities. I never used to buy sugar cereal until I started using it in baking! My daughter was never a cereal eater and my son, though I know its unusual, actually preferred wheat chex. 🙂
I run into geographical language differences all the time with my southern family. My favorite happened long ago when I offered to push my then 3 year old niece in a “shopping cart” at the supermarket. She looked at me as if I was a fool and told me that it wasn’t a “shopping cart”, it was a “buggy”. 🙂
crazyforcrust
I remember that song! And I love how you applied it to cookies. Cereal cookies? YES PLEASE.
themondaybox
Thanks, Dorothy! Cereal is a perfect cookie add-in, don’t you think? Crunchy and sweet in flavors found no where else. What flavor is Captain Crunch besides delicious?
noyomoco
I can’t believe people made you sing the jingle! Crazy. These cookies look fabulous!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jennifer! Entertainment and a burger for one low price. What a deal! 🙂 These cookies are so adaptable. The Frosted Flakes using butter was my favorite cookie but that could be because I didn’t make one with Captain Crunch. 🙂
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
I loved Cocoa Krispies and bet they are super tasty in a cookie. Loved your story of work, family, school and life!
themondaybox
Thanks, Tricia! I have never liked sugary cereal as a breakfast food but I think it makes a great crunchy snack(not in any way healthy even if fortified with gazillion vitamins) and a crunchy, flavorful add-in for baking. 🙂 My son rarely reads my posts, so I was not concerned when I sort of mentioned him here. He did, however, read this. I was not sure how he would react, but his response after reading my comment about his sleeping was to smile and say, “Fair enough.” 🙂
gottagetbaked
Gah, that whole Coke = soda thing would drive me nuts! Although not as nuts as the people forcing me to sing the jingle. I didn’t even know BK had a jingle! This brings me back to my days of working at Taco Time. I think every person should have a job in fast food at least once in their lives – it’s gruelling! These cookies look incredible – you just happened to use my two favourite cereals when I was a kid. Love these!
themondaybox
I agree, Nancy. Working at a fast food place does give you a perspective unavailable elsewhere! Thanks for your cookie comment! I never buy sugar cereal except for baking. 🙂 The flavors and crunch are perfect for cookies!
Suzie
I love your stories that go with the recipes. I can see why you would have been better suited for Wendy’s but, you singing the Burger King jingle gave me a good chuckle. I still keep college hours, I think it’s just that I’m a night owl and always will be. I am thinking of all kinds of cereals that could be made into cookies. I really like the Frosted Flakes one though 🙂 Have a great weekend!
themondaybox
Thanks, Suzie! All that singing practice is probably why I still remember the words to that silly jingle! I am an early riser and I guess compared to some, an early to bed person. That is why we say my son, whose hours are so different from mine, must be part vampire. 🙂 Enjoy your weekend too!