Cornflake Cookies
Super-simple and fun to make with kids, these buttery cookies flecked with crunchy cornflakes and nutty pecans are Southern sweets at their best. They’re from baker, cook and photographer Phillip Fryman, who has fond memories of these treats while growing up in Kentucky. During the Christmas holidays, he traveled with his family to visit relatives in Georgia. That 10-plus-hour journey was “totally worth it when we would pull down the pine tree–lined driveway and run into the house to find the cornflake cookies,” he recalls.
Ingredients
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) unsalted margarine, at room temperature
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 2 cups (1 lb./500 g) sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups (15 oz./470 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 4 cups (3 1/2 oz./100 g) cornflake cereal (not crushed)
- 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) pecans, chopped
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the margarine, shortening and sugar on medium speed just until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until combined, about 20 seconds.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until mixed, about 30 seconds.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, carefully stir in the cornflakes and pecans. Don’t overmix. Using about 1 1/2 Tbs. dough for each cookie, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
Bake until the cookies are just barely golden around the bottoms, about 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.
Recipe by Phillip Fryman, creator of the blog Southern Fatty