Cheerio Crunch Cookies
These Cheerio Crunch Cookies have a deep caramelized honey flavor and just the right amount of chewy goodness!
The Facts:
To start off 2021, we decided to take the first month to learn from one of the greatest bakers. Christina Tosi, of Milk Bar, led us through understanding flavor stories and prototyping recipes. As a result, we came up with the idea of these Cheerio Crunch Cookies. Honey Nut Cheerios was a breakfast staple throughout my childhood, so I wanted to encompass the fondness of this cereal in a new way. For me, this cookie is a “grown-up” way of looking at Cheerios and just quite a tasty treat.
These cookies went through multiple stages of prototyping, so we could get the flavor of Cheerios just right in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
In the end, what really made these cookies hit the mark was switching the room temperature butter to browned butter. The result was a caramelized honey flavor rounded with a subtle afterthought of coffee.
Are there any breakfast traditions that resonate with you? We would love to hear your stories and what you thought of these cookies!
Cheerio Crunch Cookies
Ingredients
Cheerio Crunch Mix-In
- 130 grams Honey Nut Cheerios (~3 1/2 cups)
- 30 grams Dry Milk Powder (~1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
- 30 grams Granulated Sugar (~2 tbsps + 1 tsp)
- 3 grams Kosher Salt (~3/4 tsp)
- 100 grams Unsalted Butter (~7 tbsps)
Cheerio Crunch Dough
- 234 grams All Purpose Flour (~1 3/4 cup)
- 74 grams Honey Nut Cheerios- ground up (~2 cups)
- 6 grams Baking Soda (~1 tsp)
- 9 grams Cream of Tartar (~2 tsps)
- 1.5 grams Ground Cinnamon (~1 1/2 tsps)
- 1.5 grams Ground Instant Coffee (~1/4 tsp)
- 8 grams Kosher Salt (~2 1/2 tsps)
- 225 grams Unsalted Butter (~2 sticks)
- 305 grams Light Brown Sugar (~1 1/4 cups)
- 115 grams Granulated Sugar (~1/2 cup)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 2 grams Vanilla Extract (~1 tbsp)
- 21 grams Vanilla Greek Yogurt (~1 tbsp)
Instructions
To make the Cheerio Crunch:
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Measure the 130g of Honey Nut Cheerios, 30g of Dry Milk Powder, 30g of Granulated Sugar, and 3g of Kosher Salt into a large bowl and mix together.
- Melt the 100g of Unsalted Butter in the microwave (should take a maximum of 30 seconds). Pour the melted butter into your Honey Nut Cheerio mix and stir until the butter is evenly coating everything.
- Spread the mixture on to a parchment or silicon lined sheet pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes and remove to cool while you prepare the cookie dough.
To make the Cheerio Crunch Dough:
- Brown the butter, heat a thick-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add the 225 grams of Unsalted Butter, cut into slices. Whisking continuously until all butter has melted. Continue to stir, the butter will start to bubble. Watch for brown specks to form and the butter will start to have a nutty aroma. As soon as it starts to look slightly deeper in color, remove from heat and allow to cool. Be careful as it can go from browned to burnt very quickly!
- In a medium bowl, combine the 234 grams of Flour, 74 grams of ground up Cheerios, 6 grams of Baking Soda, 9 grams of Cream of Tartar, 1.5 grams of Ground Cinnamon, 1.5 grams of Instant Coffee and 8 grams of Kosher Salt. Stirring together to evenly incorporate all dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the slightly cooled browned butter with 305 grams of Light Brown Sugar and 115 grams of Granulated Sugar. Mix on medium speed for ~2 minutes to combine.
- Beat in the Egg, Egg Yolk, 2 grams of Vanilla Extract, and 21 grams of Vanilla Greek Yogurt for another ~2 minutes on medium speed. Scraping down the sides as needed to ensure it is fully combined.
- Slowly add in your dry ingredients and mix till all flour has been incorporated. Stir in your Cheerio Crunch until also incorporated into the dough.
- Form the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- After the 1 hour of chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball, flattening slightly and placing on your parchment or silicon lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are starting to golden. The middle will still be slightly soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for ~4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.