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These apple jacks cinnamon toast cookies are a delightful twist on classic cookies, combining two popular kinds of cereal into one sweet treat. It's the best of both worlds!
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What makes this recipe special
I never buy boxed cakes or cookie mixes because I like making them from scratch. But the other day, my coworker bought boxed cinnamon toast crunch cookies and I was amazed at how delicious they were. My brain immediately started racking up ideas.
What if I combined cinnamon toast crunch with another cereal to make the ultimate cereal cookie? I immediately thought of cocoa pebbles. Chocolate and cinnamon work well together so the cookie should be delicious, right? Well, they were tasty but the chocolate overpowered the cookie. You almost forgot that they were supposed to be cereal cookies.
And so I was back to the drawing board. Then, while I was perusing the cereal aisle, I spotted apple jacks and it hit me. Apples and cinnamon, it has to work! Fortunately, it did and so here we are.
These apple jacks cinnamon toast crunch cookies combine the sweetness of apple jacks with the cinnamon notes of cinnamon toast crunch. Apple jacks cereal doesn't have much apple flavor so the cookies don't either but the textures, subtle sweetness, and colors are all there. Cereal cookies for breakfast? I'll take it! And if you want another cereal dessert, be sure to check out my milk and cereal bars!
Ingredients
- Cinnamon toast crunch cereal: The cereal adds a sweet, cinnamon flavor and a crunchy texture to the cookies.
- Apple Jacks cereal: Apple Jacks adds a sweet, fruity flavor and a crunchy texture to the cookies.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure and helps hold the cookies together.
- Cinnamon: Adds a warm, spicy flavor to the cookies.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and gives them a light, airy texture.
- Egg: The egg adds moisture to the cookies, making them tender and soft.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Prepare cereals
To make these apple jacks cinnamon toast cookies have as much cereal flavor as possible, we're adding a total of 4 cups. It seems excessive but go big or go home, right?
Combine the cereals in a food processor and process them until finely ground into a powder. If you don't have a food processor, you can crush them with a mallet. You want to make sure it's fine enough. If the crumbs are too large, the cookies will be too chewy.
Set aside 1 ⅓ cups of crushed cereal. We're going to use that to coat the cookies right before baking.
Step 2: Make cookie dough
Next, make the actual cookie dough. First, cream softened butter and sugar in a stand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. This should take at least 4 minutes.
Then, add the egg and vanilla, mixing until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Unlike when you add the wet ingredients, you want to avoid overmixing when you add the flour mix. If you overwork the flour, the cookies can become tough.
Stir in the reserved 2 ⅔ cups cereal powder and scoop out cookies, about 2 tablespoons each. Place them on a lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Chilling the cookie dough will help the flour absorb the wet ingredients and yield an overall better flavor. It will also help prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
Step 3: Bake
With the reserved crunch cereal, coat each cookie with a generous amount of the crumb. Place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 6 minutes. Then, remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle any extra cereal powder on top. Disburse the crumbs evenly instead of just piling them all in the center otherwise, the crumbs won't spread out evenly. You should use up all of the crushed cereal.
Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 4 minutes or until beautifully golden brown. Let the cereal cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Cool completely and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before mixing. This will help everything blend smoothly and create a better texture.
- Don't overmix the dough: Overmixing the dough can lead to tough, dense cookies. Mix until the ingredients are just combined, and then stop.
- Chill the dough: Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents them from spreading too much in the oven. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Rotate the baking sheets: Halfway through baking, rotate the baking sheets in the oven to ensure even cooking.
- Don't overbake: Keep a close eye on the cookies and remove them from the oven as soon as the edges are golden brown. Remember, the cookies will continue to cook as they sit on the baking sheet.
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. In fact, the flavor is even better after 24 hours!
- Store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Frequently asked questions
The cookies are soft and chewy with a bit of crunch on the outside from the cereal.
It's best to freeze the raw cookie dough instead of the baked cookies. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Apple Jacks Cinnamon Toast Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups cinnamon toast crunch cereal (82 grams)
- 2 cups apple jacks cereal (59 grams)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter, softened at room temperature (226 grams)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133 grams)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (133 grams)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine cinnamon toast crunch cereal and apple jacks cereal in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground into a powder. Measure 2 ⅔ cups (94 grams) and place in one bowl. Set aside remaining 1 ⅓ cups (47 grams) in another bowl.
- Combine flour with cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Add 2 ⅔ cups (94 grams) cereal powder mixture and stir just until combined.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons per cookie and place them on a baking sheet. Chill cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Remove cookies and coat each one in a generous amount of the reserved 1 ⅓ cup (47 grams) cereal powder. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle any remaining cereal powder evenly on top. Return cookies to oven and bake for another 4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
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