Magazine/Cookbook Monday: Crispy Cinnamon Cornflake Squares

And the award for most versatile breakfast cereal goes to.......drumrolll...... CORNFLAKES!!! wooohhooohowowoo! Seriously, what can't you use cornflakes for? I have seen it used as a chicken coating, thrown on top of casseroles, mixed into meatloaf, baked into cookies... I could go on and on. September's Real Simple issue features three recipes that utilize cornflakes. Real Simple is hands down my favorite magazine. What more could you ask for in a magazine? Simple recipes, beauty tips, fashion, house keeping advice. Basically everything I love compiled into one magazine, but I digress. The recipe I pulled from this month's issue does NOT disappoint. It consists of four ingredients and comes together in about ten minutes with no baking required. All you need: cornflakes, marshmallows, butter, and cinnamon. The resulting treats are reminiscent of rice crispy treats but with a warm, buttery, cinnamony flavor that makes them a bit more sophisticated. They are gooey, but the cornflakes retain a crispy crunch that lead me to consume about three of these delectable little squares before I even began taking pictures.... self-control is not my forte... Needless to say, I highly suggest you try this recipe.

Crispy Cinnamon Cornflake Squares

Ingredients

2 tblsp. unsalted butter plus more for pan

1 10 oz package marshmallows

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 sides.

In a large saucepan, cook the butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stirring, until melted. Mix in the cornflakes and cinnamon.

Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Let cool completely, then lift out and cut into squares. Makes 16.

Crunch, crunch!

Mouthwatering Monday

Bananas and Cream Cookies

Once again, I didn't eat my bananas fast enough and so was forced to use them for baking (I think subconsciously I do this on purpose cause really, yummy baked goods are tastier than plain old bananas). I wanted to do something other than make banana bread with the bananas, since I did just make banana bread a week or so ago, so I pulled out my trusty cookbook collection and started browsing. I started by looking through the Cookie and Biscuit Bible, the newest addition to my cookbook library. It is a VERY comprehensive guide to everything cookie, muffin, and scone. It not only gives recipes, but it also has tons of tips on baking, bakewear and decorating. The recipes range from the classic, such as chocoolate chip and sugar cookies , to the unusual, Spicy Pepper Cookies, Rose Water thins, and these Banana Cream Cookies. What a great combo, bananas and cream, I'm sold! The perfect use for my over ripe nanners! I gave it a try this morning and OH MY GOSH are they good! First off, they smell amazing as they cook, and when you bite into them, you get a sweet sugary crunch from the frosted flakes followed by the creamy banana cookie center. WOW, really a great cookie! I definitly am going to be trying more recipes from this cook book and if they all come out as delicious as these cookie... my waistline is in trouble! Enjoy!

*Side note: These are best when eaten fresh out of the oven, I saved some of mine and stored them in a ziploc bag to take to church the next day. Next day, they were not quite as amazing as fresh baked, the frosted flakes lost a bit of their crunch and they were more scone like. But nonetheless, they were still very good. If you are making them to eat later I would cover them with less of the frosted flakes and call them banana and cream scones :)

Bananas and Cream Cookies

from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible by Katherine Atkinson

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups soft light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sunflower oil

½ cup whole milk or cream

1 ¾ cups plain flour

1 ¾ cups self – raising flour (I made my own by adding 1 3/4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to 1 3/4 cups plain flour)

3 cups slightly crushed frosted flakes

2 ripe bananas, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment.

Put the eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl and whisk till blended. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the oil and milk and stir in well. Add the flour and mix well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and stir in the bananas. Put the frosted flakes in a large bowl.

Using a spoon, drop heaps of dough into the flakes (this part gets a little messy, the dough is super sticky). Lightly toss so each cookie is well coated, then remove and place on the prepared baking sheets.

Flatten very slightly with your fingertips.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden brown and crispy. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and sift some powdered sugar over the tops.

There you go, yummy, creamy, banana cookies!

Whisked Away Wednesday: Buttercrunch Cookies

Happy Wednesday! Last time I was at New Seasons, they had a cookie sample of “Buttercrunch Cookies.” I tried them and they were sooo good, they had a butterscotch/toffee flavor with a bit of crunch. I ended up calling the store later and asking the girl that was working in the bakery to read me the ingredients. I was surprised when she said they included cornflakes. I decided to try and replicate these yummy cookies at home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a recipe that included all the key ingredients from the original cookie (cornflakes, coconut, and butterscotch chips). So I found a recipe for cornflake cookies that didn’t include coconut or butterscotch chips and I modified it to include them. The cookies turned out really yummy, the best part is the great crunchiness and texture the coconut and cornflakes add. They are almost the consistency of a pecan sandy, just a bit chewier. If you bake them longer you will get a crisper cookie, but I like my cookies soft and chewy, so I pulled them out when the edges began to brown. This is a great recipe and super easy to make. It makes quite a lot of dough so it may be good to half the recipe. I made the full recipe and froze part of the dough so I can make cookies on demand :) Happy baking!

Buttercrunch Cookies

Based on a recipe found on food.com

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup crushed corn flakes

½ cup coconut

½ cup butterscotch chips

1 cup regular oats

3 1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and egg.

Add oil.

Mix in dry ingredients (you do not need to put them in a separate bowl to do this, just add them all in and stir).

Form dough into balls. Place on cookie Bake for 10- 12 minutes.Cool on pan for a minute or two, then transfer to a rack to cool.