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    Home » Desserts

    Cornflake Candy

    Published: Sep 10, 2024 · Modified: Nov 20, 2024 by Jenn · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    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!

    close up of finished cornflake candy cooling on wax paper.

    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.
    cornflake candy ingredients including sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter, and corn flakes.
    Only 4 ingredients!

    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.

    adding corn syrup to a saucepan.

    Add the peanut butter and stir until smooth.

    Adding peanut butter to a saucepan filled with hot corn syrup and sugar mixture.

    Remove from heat and pour the peanut butter mixture over the cornflakes in the bowl.

    mixing bowl full of cornflakes with the peanut butter mixture poured over the top.

    Use a spatula to mix well until the cornflakes are well-coated.

    Using a green spatula to mix the peanut butter mixture into the cornflakes in the large mixing bowl.

    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.

    cornflake cookies cooling on wax paper.


    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.

    Breaking apart freshly made old fashioned cornflake candy

    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

    How do I store cornflake candy?

    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.

    Can I freeze cornflake candy?

    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.

    Why is my cornflake candy hard?

    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

    No-Bake Coffee Cookies

    No-Bake Eggnog Pie

    No-Bake Wheat Thin “Cookies”

    📖 Recipe

    Breaking apart freshly made old fashioned cornflake candy

    Cornflake Candy

    Jenn
    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.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Cooling Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24
    Calories 161 kcal

    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.

    Notes

    I don’t worry too much about the shape when I’m spooning the cornflake candy onto the wax paper.  I prefer to let the cornflake candy dollops cool on the wax paper just enough to handle and then I shape them with my hands. Don’t burn yourself but don’t wait so long that the candy has already set completely.
    Keyword no bake desserts, peanut butter dessert recipe
    Nutrition Facts
    Cornflake Candy
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 161 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Sodium 109mg5%
    Potassium 82mg2%
    Carbohydrates 27g9%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 21g23%
    Protein 3g6%
    Vitamin A 125IU3%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 7mg1%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or share on Pinterest

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. arel says

      October 01, 2022 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      I tried the recipe, it’s really good.
       

      Reply
      • Jenn says

        October 01, 2022 at 2:49 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    2. Deb says

      December 01, 2022 at 8:48 am

      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!

      Reply
    3. Sandy Pierson says

      December 14, 2022 at 11:01 am

      Can you use frosted flakes in place of regular flakes? I could only find frosted.

      Reply
      • Jenn says

        January 03, 2023 at 1:49 pm

        Frosted will work as far as the texture and consistency, but they will probably come out too sweet.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jenn, a Southern food blogger and mother living in Alabama. After having my wonderful daughter, I decided to embark on a journey of sharing my Southern cooking recipes with the world.

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