Get out the butta and pecans. It’s that time of year, y’all! Bake, bake, bake. Without a doubt, this is when everyone pulls out their favorite sweet treats to make for their friends and family. These cookies are a favorite of mine, having grown up eating them like it was my job.
Cornflake Cookies — Buttery, shortbread-like cookies finished with pecans and crunchy cornflakes.
I can remember traveling for houuuurs and hours from Kentucky to visit family in Georgia. It seemed like an eternity, really. My parents tried everything to keep my sister and I from going crazy (read: fighting). We had games, Walkmans (ya… you remember), rolls of quarters that would slowly diminish away for each poke or yell at each other. Nothing really worked, but I guess it helped to pass the time.
That entire 10+ hour journey seemed totally worth it when we would pull down the pine tree lined driveway and run into the house to find the cornflake cookies. These things are legendary. Seriously. They couldn’t be any easier, but just have this comforting, sweet taste.
Maybe it’s the unique addition of cornflakes. Maybe the rich pecans. It could be that the pecans were usually shelled by yours truly. That was the deal. When you visited, you shelled pecans. If you were old enough to eat ’em, you could prep ’em. We would sit and watch Jeopardy and the National news. I would get yelled at for eating more than I was putting into the bags. I’m pretty sure they had me working the pecan line before I was old enough to walk.
I never latched onto cornflakes like I did pecans. With that said, somehow the addition of butter and sugar and more butter really seems to make them delicious. Why isn’t that a cereal?! The crunch from this unusual mix-in provides a one-of-a-kind texture for the cookies.
These are the cookies that I ask for every time I visit my parents. I would get boxes sent to my room in College. They’re just that good. They hit home with this comforting, crunchy, buttery deliciousness that you wouldn’t believe.
Speaking of mailing cookies– I made these recently after joining a ton of other bloggers in The Great Food Blogger Cookie 
Swap. This program was started a few years ago by a local Nashville blogging friend Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil and her good friend Julie of The Little Kitchen. [Both awesome blogs you should be following.]
Basically, a bunch of bloggers throw in some donations for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer by the Childhood Cancer Foundation and send and receive cookies to/from a few of the bloggers that participated. It’s a fantastic way to support an amazing cause while also getting some sweet treats and new friends in the process.
My day job as a Cancer Researcher
The cause that the swap benefits is very near and dear to me. I’ve touched on it a few times, but when I’m not midnight baking, I am pipetting away in a lab as a Cancer Research Biologist. It’s great to see so many people come together for a cause that affects so many people so directly. I’m happy to be a part of it this year for the first time.
Back to the cookies! I’ve learned from a ton of failed ice cream topping cookies that these can be a bit finicky at times. Once you cream the butter and sugar, lightly stir in the flour and then it’s best to go old school and carefully mix in the rest by hand. The cornflakes need to stay mostly uncrushed and crunchy. This is hard to achieve with a mixer involved.
Ta daaa! I hope y’all enjoy these as much as I have for the past couple decades.
From my family to yours– Happy Holidays!
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup margarine (cheapest you can find works best!)
- 1 cup shortening
- 3 cups flour, AP
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 4 cups cornflake cereal (not crushed)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
- Cream butter, sugar and shortening just until well-combined.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar. Add to butter mixture and combine just until mixed.
- By hand, mix in cornflakes and pecans very carefully. Don't overmix!
- Bake by spoonful on lined baking sheet for ~ 12 minutes until just barely golden around bottoms.
- Cool and enjoy!
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What’s you favorite baked memory? Share below!
please make the ingredients in gram, i already googled conversion but everywebsite has different conversion so i’m confused, i really wanna make this one, please again & thanks
Most of my recipes now have both metric and imperial measurements. I’m working on getting them all updated.
I used cheap margarine, Blue Bonnet and store brand Crisco. Great results
That’s how I learned was best!
These have such a crispy texture. They are marvelous. I pulled them out of the oven when they didn’t look done but the bottoms were golden brown. I let cool on the cookie sheet. They crisp up and are fantastic
Wonderful! These cookies are such a big part of my family memories. I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
Butter or margarine? Ingredient list states margarine; instructions says butter.
You can use either, really. The original recipe used margarine, but I realize most prefer to not use it now. I use butter when I make them (and it will spread less).
As one of the lucky recipients of these crispy, creative cookies, I can confirm that they taste just as good as they look. Thank you so much, Philip!
Oops — that’s Phillip with two L’s. I was a bit too excited to post my praises! 🙂
D’aww, thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for the kind note. Just got it and it made my day. Cheers–
Flip, some of us know how many pecans you actually shelled
Hahaha! At least one or two 🙂
These were literally one of the top three best cookies I’ve ever eaten in my entire life! Seriously, SO good!!!! Thanks for sending them my way 🙂
D’aww! Thanks so much, Meme. They are for sure a favorite of mine for tons of reasons. Glad they made it there ok.
YES!!! I absolutely know that I would love these. My favorite cookie in the whole wide world (and one that I bake every year at Xmas since discovering a few years back) is a Crispy Chewy Coconut Cookie. It gets its “crispy” from – you guessed it- cornflakes! https://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2012/02/crispy-chewy-coconut-cookies.html
Cornflakes. Who knew?!
Definitely adding your cookies to my baking list for next week!
Love the addition of the coconut! I can’t even explain to people how addictive these really are.
Phillip, these were so amazing. I seriously loved how unique they were! The crunch of the cornflakes was so wonderful and unexpected. I’m so glad you introduced these to me because I am totally going to have to make them! Thank you so much for sending me a batch of them!
D’aww, thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Happy Holidays!
Now this is a twist I never heard of. Rice crispies, move over, corn flakes are in town. Love that pic of you in the lab. You’re SMART!
D’aww, thanks! Soooo good– Gives it a great texture.
Great cookie idea! It’s so fun to see all the recipes get posted today for the cookie swap. A lot of creativity going on in the baking department.
Thanks! I’ve really enjoyed seeing everyone’s posts today. Cheers–
What an awesome idea, my boys would absolutely love these!
Thanks, Matt! I never thought of it, but I bet kids would have fun throwing cornflakes into cookies. I mean… I do!
I love pecan shortbreads with a little texture! I must try this soon.
Shortbread is the best way I know how to describe the taste. They are a bit more airy and def textured. Lemme know how it goes!
Well this certainly is some interesting cookie sorcery going on. I did tweak your recipe a bit by throwing in some butterscoth morsels. Let me tell you, they took these cookies right over the top! Thanks for this recipe!!
It’s certainly unique! Something I grew up with in the south and have always loved. I’ve added butterscotch before and love it. Glad you enjoyed!