Milk Bar’s Cornflake Marshmallow Cookie

 

Just looking at the Momofuku Milk Bar menu without having ever visited a store in person, you get the idea that it represents the childhood nostalgia so many of us crave in anything sweet. This was my story for a few years after having heard about their ‘Cereal Milk’ ice cream, and then later seeing their ‘Birthday Cake’ somewhere online. Just the image of it put a twinkle in my eye; I was in dessert-love. After learning more about what other goodies they carry I knew this was a bucket list destination for me. And, as luck would have it on a trip to Toronto a few years ago, I took the chance to search ‘Milk Bar’ on Google Maps — and BAM — a little pin popped up! I won’t lie, I did internally freak out just a tad. Being that I’d already had a sugar-filled afternoon I only tried the ‘Cereal Milk Soft Serve’, and it was honestly everything I had hoped it would be. It’s literally (in a very literal sense of the word) my favourite ice cream I’ve ever had and I still dream about that day.

In between that and my next visit to Toronto I kept wondering what cornflakes in cookie form could possibly taste like. It’s gotta be a good combo, right? I’d seen online that Milk Bar shares some of their recipes but I couldn’t find one particularly for the ‘Cornflake Marshmallow Cookie’, though I did find one for the ‘Compost Cookie‘. So, I decided to put any cookie-making skills I had to the test and alter the recipe to make what I thought the cornflake marshmallow version would taste like. And I’ve got to give pretty much all the credit to Milk Bar for the base of the recipe, but OH MY GOODNESS I was so darn proud of myself! They were divine and my whole family loved them! Eventually I made it back to Toronto, though not into Milk Bar. But, knowing that the ‘Cornflake Marshmallow Cookie’ was on my mind, my brother sent one to me. And, yet again, I had a mini freak-out sesh.

Now, this isn’t something I want to say on here but — for the sake of being honest — the cookie I had was a little disappointing. However, I’m not writing it off; I’m just assuming that maybe mine was a little old or something. It did travel all the way across the country! So, until I finally visit New York someday I’m counting on my take on the recipe to carry me through! And it’s a good one. I think it’s possibly one of my favourites that I’ve ever baked!

 

 

Before getting to the recipe for Momofuku Milk Bar’s Cornflake Marshmallow Cookie, there’s a few things you must know. In my attempts to recreate what I think the original might taste like, I’ve learned that while seemingly intimidating, they’re not super difficult if you start off with confidence. With that said, I’ve only been able to make ones that turn out a little thinner and bigger in shape than the original. This has led me to think that the idea of the recipe is a tad finicky if you’re not a professional in a bakery. The recipe I’ve used only includes basic cookie ingredients — maybe it needs something else to keep them from spreading? But don’t get me wrong, I actually prefer this version! They’re a little crispier, yet chewy in all the right places. As an average person baking in my kitchen at home I can’t get all the marshmallows to stay in the middle, causing them to caramelize and get chewy and crunchy. There is a fix to this (described more below), but if you’re lazy like me and don’t always want to place the marshmallows perfectly in the centre you’ll be rewarded with yummy toffee-like edges which are an absolute DREAM! Also, keep in mind that this recipe requires chilling time (a combined total of almost 1.5 hours at least) and needs to be baked in small batches, so steer clear of this if you’re looking for a last-minute recipe! Additionally, please note that these cookies are on the sweeter side, and the amount of sugar can be decreased because there’s still lots going on (*cough* frosted flakes and marshmallows *cough*). Despite the sweetness my parents still adore them, and that’s saying something; the batch I made for our trip to Tofino last week was always in their hands during the car ride! So, with all that information, take a deep breath and don’t worry. I’ve laid out a detailed recipe below, with a few tips for troubleshooting some issues you may have. All in all, take this recipe lightly because it’s such a fun concept and they’ll taste darn good regardless!

 

 

 

MOMOFUKU MILK BAR’S CORNFLAKE MARSHMALLOW COOKIE

Makes about 18-20 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (16 TBSP) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 & 1/8 cup white sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 TSP vanilla

 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 TSP baking powder

1/4 TSP baking soda

1 TSP salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

3 cups ‘Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes’

Approximately 50-60 mini marshmallows (or 15 regular ones, quartered), enough for 2-3 per cookie

Directions:

• Cream the butter and both sugars in a mixer on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
• Add the egg and vanilla, and beat for around 8 minutes, scraping the bowl in between. It will be done when it’s pale, fluffy and has a glossy sheen.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then, reduce mixer speed to low and incorporate the flour mixture just until a few white streaks remain in the dough. Do not over mix; this took me only about 10-15 seconds.
• Scrape the bowl again, and add chocolate chips and ‘Frosted Flakes’. You can fold them in with a spatula or use the mixer, making sure to incorporate just until the mix-ins are evenly spread through; do not over mix. At this point, refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes until it becomes easier to scoop.
• Once chilled for a bit, use a 1 TBSP ice cream scoop to form a ball with two scoops of the dough, and then flatten to create a thick disk. Then, place a few mini marshmallows on the middle top of each cookie. The closer to the centre, the less the marshmallows will caramelize and create irregular cookie shapes.
• Place each disk of dough on a parchment lined tray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place only a few cookies per tray as they tend to spread and stick together; for reference, I baked 4 cookies per tray and the tray was 17 inches long. Bake for around 16-20 minutes until just golden brown; I found that checking them at 11 minutes and then turning the tray around for the remainder of the time helped ensure an even bake. Crispy marshmallow bits are perfectly OK!
• Be sure to keep the remaining dough frozen while each batch bakes. Once each batch is done, cool on the baking tray for about 5-10 minutes until they can be easily transferred to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat the baking process for all remaining batches. Enjoy!

Notes:

• I think this measurement of sugars is well-balanced in sweetness, however, both sugars can be decreased according to your taste.
• In all my attempts with this recipe I found that the best way to retain a presentable shape was to create thick flat disks and then place a few marshmallows on the middle top (as explained above) because they tend to spread a lot on their own. If the marshmallows are incorporated in the dough with the other mix-ins, they will make their way to the edges of the cookies and melt to cause further spreading, therefore creating wonky shapes. This also exposes the marshmallows to more heat, making them caramelize into a kind of toffee. While fabulous to eat, it may be annoying for some who want a round cookie shape after having worked so hard on the dough.
• If the shapes do become wonky at all, I found an easy fix. After the cookies have baked fully and cooled on the baking tray for about a minute: take a metal spatula and reshape the edges of each cookie, breaking any apart if stuck together. Doing so any earlier will make them stick to the spatula or break the structure of the cookies because they’ll be hot and delicate. It’s a little extra work but worth it if needed; I did this for the batch pictured in this post!
• If pre-making the dough to bake later let the thick disks (with marshmallows) freeze first on a flat tray lined with parchment paper. Then, after at least an hour they can be transferred to a plastic bag or container and kept frozen for around 1 week. This way they are already frozen when placed on top of each other, preventing them from clumping and ruining their shape.