thankful cookies aka momofuku milk bar cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie

Thanksgiving came early for me, and not in the usual form of turkey dinner, family gathering, and celebration.

I gave thanks and had an incredibly grateful heart because...

We got our power back!  (You know how they say that you don't really appreciate what you have until you don't have it...)

The last weekend of October brought an unusual early snowstorm to NJ. Wet, heavy snow snapped off leaf-laden limbs, which fell onto power lines all over northern Jersey. 2 million of us were without power. By Tuesday evening, the number was down to 69,000, (and you-know-who was one of the last 3% to get restored...) and, then, finally, on Wednesday, we had heat.

So I am grateful for electricity ~ for a warm home ~ for appliances that work. And most of all, for wonderful, hospitable, generous friends that housed and fed us for 4 days/3 nights. We had lots of fun and were more than comfortable.

As a small token of appreciation, I'm baking a batch of cookies and bringing it over—these are, from the bottom of my heart, Thankful Cookies.

Ingredients include mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows,

and cornflake crunch!?  Are you intrigued? The stuff, truth be told, doesn't sound that appealing on paper, but upon eating... it's addicting. I had to shoo away The Kids, who couldn't resist nibbling away at the buttery, crispy concoction. To make the crunch, The Boy used his hands to crush the cereal. Add some milk powder, sugar, salt, and lots o' butter, then bake it a bit to create the delectable mix-in.

They come out quite flat, yet they have a comination chewy and crispy texture. When was the last time you had flat and CHEWY? Crispy around the edges, chewy as you hit the caramelized marshmallows and cornflake crunch centers.

Beware of overbaking. I didn't keep a close eye on the first sheet , and they browned up quite quickly. 

The cookie is fantastic— if you're looking for something a little different than your usual chocolate chip cookie, you've got to try this one out. I'm baking another batch tomorrow...

Cornflake, Chocolate Chip, Marshmallow Cookies
adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi
makes approximately 30 cookies

12 T. butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups Cornflake Crunch (see recipe below)
⅔ cup mini chocolate chips
1¼ cups mini marshmallows

FOR THE COOKIE

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars; cream together on medium-high 2-3 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and vanilla and beat 7-8 minutes.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Still on low speed, mix in cornflakes and chips until just incorporated, about 30-45 seconds. Stir in marshmallows.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or silpat. Using a medium cookie scoop, portion ¼ cup dough at a time onto pan. Pat tops of dough domes flat. (Cookies are about 2-inches wide.) Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week. (DO NOT BAKE room-temperature disks — they will not hold their shape.)

Heat oven to 350ºF. On a parchment or Silpat-lined sheet pan, arrange chilled disks a minimum of 4 inches apart. (I put 8 to a sheet, but two baked into each other.) Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until cookies are browned on edges and just beginning to brown toward the center. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. Leave them in oven for another minute or so if they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

Cool cookies completely on pan before moving them to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, cookies will keep fresh for 4 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Cornflake Crunch
makes about 3½ cups

4½ cups cornflakes
½ cup milk powder
3 T. sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 T. butter, melted

Heat oven to 275º.

In a medium bowl, with your hands, crush cornflakes to ¼ of their original size. Add milk powder, sugar and salt; toss to mix. Add butter; toss to coat. (As you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal, creating small clusters.)

On a parchment or Silpat lined sheet pan, spread clusters and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell butter, and crunch gently when cooled slightly and chewed.

Cool completely before storing or using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for one week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep for one month.


This post is linked to the following: Sundae Scoop, made by you monday, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, something swanky, show and share, momnivores dilemma, kurtz corner,