This cornflake candy recipe is an easy no-bake dessert that will save you time and money. Peanut butter cornflake candy is perfect for potlucks, cookie swaps, dessert tables, or to give as a gift!
You’ll be delighted at how quick cornflake candy is to make and how affordable the ingredients are. Keep this cornflake candy recipe in mind the next time you’re signed up to bring a dessert somewhere.
Ingredients
- Sugar
- Light Corn Syrup (or honey mixture) – Corn syrup is the cheaper option here but if you don’t like to consume too much of it (and I don’t blame you) you can use a mixture of ½ corn syrup and ½ honey. This will keep the texture and “stickiness” about the same as using just corn syrup but reduces the amount you’ll be consuming by half. Using 100% honey won’t yield quite the same results.
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Corn Flakes Cereal – Generic brands work just fine. Get the family size.
Preparation
Clear some counter or table space and cover with sheets of wax paper or aluminum foil. This is where the “cookies” will cool and set.
Add the cornflakes to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Cooking
This is a no-bake recipe but you’ll need to do a little work on the stovetop.
In a medium saucepan or stockpot, cook the corn syrup (or syrup/honey blend) and sugar together over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Add the peanut butter and stir until smooth.
Remove from heat and pour the peanut butter mixture over the cornflakes in the bowl.
Use a spatula to mix well until the cornflakes are well-coated.
Spoon the mixture about 2 tablespoons at a time into “dollops” onto the wax paper. Use less for a large batch of smaller cookies or more for a small batch of large cookies.
I don’t worry too much about the shape at this point. I prefer to let the cornflake candy dollops cool on the wax paper just enough to handle and then I shape it with my hands.
Don’t burn yourself but don’t wait so long that the candy has already set completely.
Serving
Cornflake candy is ready to serve once it reaches room temperature. Store in an airtight container on your countertop for up to two weeks.
Tips
- Don’t store it in the fridge or the freezer or the cornflake candy will get too hard.
- If you don’t have a full 6 cups of corn flakes you can get away with using only 4 cups. You’ll end up with a smaller batch of cookies that are less crunchy and gooier but still very tasty.
- Rather than pouring the peanut butter mixture over the bowl of cornflakes, you can instead add cornflakes to the pot of peanut butter mixture one cup at a time. I just find the pour-over method easier to get all the flakes coated. It does dirty an extra dish though.
- Cornflake candy tastes amazing but looks a little…plain. You can jazz it up with sprinkles if you like for a bit of color or to fit a theme. Just sprinkle them on and press them down onto the candy before it completely cools.
FAQ
Store cornflake candy on the countertop in an airtight container for up to a week. Avoid placing them in the fridge as the texture will get too hard.
No. Cornflake candy isn’t a good dessert to bake ahead and store. Fortunately, the recipe is so quick and easy to whip up (even in bulk!) that you won’t really need to.
If your cornflake candy hardens too much (it should be flexible enough to easily tear in half even when completely dry) it likely means the corn syrup and sugar mixture were cooked too long or at too high of a temperature. Be sure to cook over medium heat and add the peanut butter as soon as the sugar dissolves.
Other No-Bake Desserts
📖 Recipe
Cornflake Candy
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 6 cups corn flakes cereal
Instructions
- Add cornflakes to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a large stockpot, heat the corn syrup and sugar together stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the peanut butter and stir until smooth.
- Remove from heat and pour the peanut butter mixture over the cornflakes in the bowl. Use a spatula to mix well until the cornflakes are well-coated.
- Spoon the mixture about 2 tablespoons at a time into "dollops" onto the wax paper. Use less for a large batch of smaller cookies or more for a small batch of large cookies.
- Once the cookies are cool enough not to burn your fingers but warm enough to not be completely set, shape them by hand as desired.
- Cornflake candy is ready to serve once it's cooled completely.
arel says
I tried the recipe, it’s really good.
Jenn says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Deb says
Thanks so much! This is so much easier than rolling them into ‘balls’ while they’re still hot. I used the tablespoon size and made 56 bite size candies!
Sandy Pierson says
Can you use frosted flakes in place of regular flakes? I could only find frosted.
Jenn says
Frosted will work as far as the texture and consistency, but they will probably come out too sweet.