I have a problem with leftover cereal languishing in my cupboards, and when I get a hankering (looove that word!) for cookies, any ingredients are looking like a good option, and with these cookies, the results are so good I now actually look forward to having a cupboard full of almost-empty cereal boxes.
Who has two thumbs and snacks on leftovers? *This girl*
Carl loves cereal, but he can’t abide that dusty bit in the bottom of the box, so the last cup or so always goes untouched for fear some of the crumbs will end up in his bowl. Since he’s really the only one around here who eats cereal, I store the cereal in an obscenely high cupboard only he can reach and never think about it. But eventually I notice there’s no room for the new box of cereal I bought and so I clamber up and investigate the state of the old boxes. A cup of cereal in each.
I used to throw this cereal away, but when you do that with more than one box at a time it feels like you are throwing away a LOT of perfectly good food, and that makes me squirmy. It varies every time (I’ve been making these cookies for about 3 years now, sorry, they’re my best kept secret), and this time the selection was these:
So if you have leftover cereal problems like I do, you are going to love me today – these are actually some of our favourite cookies, and I try to have a box of multigrain or honey nut Cheerios on hand to round out the 4 cups of cereal if I run short on leftovers. These can also be made solely with one kind of cereal, but everything from rice krispies to bran buds to froot loops works in these catch-all cookies! If you’re using a lot of sugary cereals I would recommend cutting back the sugar in the recipe, unless you have a real sweet tooth.
These are totally one-bowl-simple to make, and they are huge, with crispy edges, chewy middles, crunchy cereal, and classic brown-sugar-and-butter cookie goodness. They freeze well, or they stay fresh in an airtight plastic container for 5 whole days.
And with all that cereal involved? These are totally a breakfast food. Jumbo cookies for breakfast make me happy.
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour (all purpose OR whole wheat)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 cups mixed cereal
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- ½ cup flaked coconut
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts and/or dried cranberries (optional)
- Heat oven to 350º. Mix sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Drop by ¼ cupfuls about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball to approx. 2” in diameter. Bake 6 minutes, rotate cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, 3-5 minutes longer. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet.
This is a delicious cookie! It came together quickly and baked beautifully. I used my choice of cereal, which was Honey Bunches of Oats, so I didn’t add any extra oats or nuts. This is a cookie I plan to make regularly whenever I have leftover cereal from the bottom of the bag. It’s sure to be a hit, and I doubt there will be any leftovers!
Even I, even I–a lousy cookie maker had success!
Thank you thank you Anna!
Linda P
I’m getting ready to make these. I’m using frosted flakes so I’m wondering if I should reduce the sugar since the cereal is really sweet. How much sugar should should I use?
You could reduce the sugar by half a cup if you want!
Been using this recipe for a few years now. Excellent with Lucky Charms, Rice Krispies, granola and really anything else. Generally I save ALL my cereal crumbs together in gallon ziplocks and or Ball jars. I LOVE that it uses 4 cups of cereal at once! I always throw in chocolate chips and a mixture of dried fruit and nuts from Mariani. Never had a fail. And these make a good hearty thick chewy cookie! Good for teens and men especially.
Absolutely delicious. The whole family loved them. I didn’t tell them that my leftover Kashi cereal was the crunch factor. Definitely going to make these again.
Excellent recipe. I substituted chopped dates vs. raisins.
Cereal used: Kellog’s Vector
Thank you for your recipe since my husband goes on spurts of eating cereal so I have frosted mini wheat. Crispex and blueberry special k so can’t use them all in one batch but can make several batches also multi grain cheerios. I have lots to use but lots better than throwing away. I hope these cookies are crispy that’s what he likes. When ge decides to eat cereal again he would think these cereals are stale and I would have to buy new but this way I don’t have to throw the old away. Anymore recipes using cereal just let me know I hate throwing away food
These cookies can be baked an extra 2-3 minutes if you prefer crispy cookies – my husband likes them that way too, while I prefer them chewy :)
My mother put all of the leftover cereal crumbs in a blue cobalt canister in the china cabinet. When it was full she made cookies like this – she called them Dishpan Cookies and the recipe called for oil instead of butter. They were always the same, yet always different and we loved them! But, as an adult, I don’t like the oily flavor. I have been looking for a suitable replacement recipe for years and I have found it here! I made these today and followed the recipe exactly, except I used white chocolate chips – which were also “leftover” and dried blueberries that I had languishing in the cupboard. THEY ARE PERFECT! crisp, chewy, not too sweet. I used Cinnamon Life and Special K strawberry cereal.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU for a new, old favorite!
My mother kept all the left over cereal in a blue cobalt canister in the china cabinet. When it was full, she made what she called Dishpan Cookies. They were always the same and always different and we loved them! However her recipe used oil instead of butter and, as an adult, I find it too oily. I have been looking for a good replacement and I have found it here! I made these today with Cinnamon Life and the flaked cereal with dried strawberries. I followed the basic recipe exactly but used white chocolate chips because they, too, were “leftover” and dried blueberries that were languishing in the cupboard. DELICIOUS! My husband, who hates coconut, had two of them hot out of the oven and gave it 2 thumbs up. Thank you for a new, old favorite!
Excited to see this recipe! I bought some granola like cereal that honestly is the worst! I have high hopes that along with your recipe I will have some awesome breakfast cookies!
Ha! Me too I bought some Granola that looked to die for but taste……. Uggh!!
Hoping this recipe saves my very expensive not so nice tasting granola
I have mostly non-sweet cereals. Do you think they will still be good?
Absolutely! There’s plenty of sugar in the recipe without the cereal adding any :)
Can you substitute applesauce for the butter?
i just found this recipe and will be making it soon. love all the comments! i am already thinking of the combinations of cereal to use!
Omg …I’m glad I stumbled onto this recipe!,, can’t wait to make these cookies…
how easy
Thank-you for sharing
Such a great way to use cereals! Making these right now & must say, pretty darn good!
Used some super sweet cereals and coconut & find them to be delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, when it says mix, do you have to use an electric mixer?
Thanks
It will definitely make it much easier to cream the butter and sugar, but you can mix by hand as well!
This was a good recipe! I had Wild Harvest blueberry flax granola, a cereal way, way sugary than I expected, and I needed an alternative way to use it. Because of how much sugar was in this cereal, I ended up halving the amount of sugar in the recipe and used coconut sugar (so, 3/4 C coconut sugar). Other than that I made no alterations. I really didn’t think the dough was going to come together–it seemed way too dry–but lo and behold it did! After baking (about 12-13 min) the cookies are crumbly but JUST hold together. They are delicious. I was wondering if lowering the amount of sugar/changing the sugar type had an impact on the texture or if a crumblier texture is to be expected with all the cereal? Any thoughts on how to make these just a tad chewier next time? Thank you!
The brown sugar really helps with the chewiness, so I’d add some of that next time, or add 1-2 Tbsp molasses with your coconut sugar to mimic the same effect.
I stopped reducing sugar in baked goods when they came out dry. Think about it, the sugar melts into a syrup that glues all the dry stuff together.
I love this, I even added an egg and made this into muffins. Then I sprinkle on the coconut on top. Also my kids love the cookies. I call them quarantine cookies
Hello. Do I need to ground down the cerebral or just use as it and crush as I mix the he ingredients?
Sorry for the slow response – no need to crush the cereal, it just gets mixed in whole!
One more question. Can I use old fashioned oats in place of quick cooking oats?
Absolutely :)
I know this is an older post but I just wanted to mention for anyone reading this in future, you can use a coffee grinder to grind down large oats or traditional oats a little bit to make them “quick cooking” I make oatmeal flour and steel cuts oats this way. Quick cooking oats are basically just large oats chopped, steel cut are chopped down finer and the next step down after steel cut is flour.
Thank you for this excellent information!
Can I use unsweetened coconut, would you recommend toasting it and the nuts before baking?
You can definitely use unsweetened coconut, and no need to toast anything before baking!
This is my new favorite cookie as I am about to get started making my fourth batch in the past two months. When my wife passed several years ago I was of course given the task of preparing meals for my children as well as myself so I have found a lot of really good recipes on line. When it came time for me to figure out what to do with all the leftover cereal my daughter has gotten from the WIC program I googled leftover cereal and your recipe was the first one that sounded good without a lot of preparation to make so I gave it a try. On the first batch I didn’t know what to expect so I just put a spoonful of cookie dough on the sheet as you would a chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie thinking it would expand but when it didn’t I flattened the next sheet before putting it in the oven. I have used several different cookies such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and some others I don’t remember right now. On my second batch I also put in the raisins and now my daughter makes sure that when I make them that I do put them in. I have taken these in to church dinners, the office at work for my one job, the school bus kids I had for an athletic trip I drove for that job and now this batch I will take to the construction site of the house I am working on to see how the guys there like them. Thank you for giving me such an easy recipe to follow though had it been a difficult one I might have still made them since I have made a lot of really good meals over the years including several Thanksgiving meals.
Hi Steve, thanks so much for your comment – I love that these have become a go-to recipe for you and for sharing. It sounds like you are doing an amazing job taking over the kitchen, your children are blessed to have you.
Thank you and this is amazing to know how baking helped you. I too found going through a divorce baking help me to connect with my kids and made all of us feel really good. Hang in there Steve…you are wonderful dad!
I love this recipe! have stale store bought cookies- could you chop and use instead of cereal?
Absolutely!
Can this be made as a slice ? I need to make 100portions and will be wanting to save time? O r i will make cookies if that is advisable.
Thank u
The dough doesn’t hold together great for a slice and bake type cookie – all those fillings will likely make it crumble when you try to slice it, so I’d recommend a different recipe for that approach :)
You could slice if you roll and freeze dough in logs.
Great recipe I make now and then as a healthier option for my toddler. I use honey bunches of oats with vanilla clusters and sometimes mix with apple cinnamon cheerios. I like them a little sweeter so I substitute the oats for more cereal and add a 1/4 cup of raw honey. Instead of walnuts I use almond slivers to appeal to my husband.
I have been looking for a recipe like this for a long time. Thank you.
I made them with Multigrain Cheerios. I think next time I’ll grind up most of the cheerios.
Quick question: do you crush up the cereal, or just add it whole?
Thank you! So excited to try these out!
Throw it all in whole!
I’ve been saving cereal “dust” in ball jars for 6 months (my wife just laughed) thinking I had an original idea. Ready to try my idea today & found your site! Oh well…brilliant minds alike, eh? I’ve mostly granola & cheerio crumbs but could be a dozen others in there lol. I’ll let u know how they come out!
YUMMO! Thank you! I used a combination of KiX cereal (no one would eat it!), leftover rice crispies & bottom of the bag cinnamon cherios! The kids gave it two thumbs up!!
I’m not one to post ratings on a recipe. However, this has become a regular at my house. I haven’t been able to mess up a batch of these yet. I did get close one time by including an odd flavored cereal. We love them at our house. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you’re enjoying them, thanks for taking the time to comment!
I wondered how many cookies it makes and can these be frozen once cooked or am I best off freezing the dough until I need it?
Thanks
It makes 3-4 dozen, depending how large you scoop them, and they freeze very well!
Could I substitute something for the oatmeal?
You could add another 1/2 cup of flour, or substitute more cereal :)
Great recipe! I cut butter to 1 1/2 sticks and used 3/4 cup dark brown sugar and left out white sugar and added 1/2 cup unsweetened organic apple sauce and a 1/4 cup of raw sugar. I also used 1 cup unbleached flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. For my add ins I used three cups of Great Grains cereal, one cup oats, 3/4 cup coconut , 1/4 cup each of pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds and a cup of chopped walnuts plus 1 cup mixed dried berries. Never saw such a versatile recipe that you can just change according to what you like or have on hand! Thanks!
Yes, it’s such a great recipe for cleaning out the pantry :) Glad you liked them!
Can these be made with a combination of Lucky charms and Shredded Wheat?
Absolutely! Any combination works :)
Very good! I used half Lucky charms and half shredded wheat. I cut the sugar in half since I made them for breakfast. Could be sweeter but since there will definitely be a next time… I will add white chocolate chips and cranberries. Thanks again great recipe… Easy and delicious.
I made mine with raisen oatmeal instant individual packs, Lucky charms, and Cocoa Puffs…. OMG!….
This recipe makes plenty. So with the batch I made tonight, I thought to be brave and throw in some chocolate chips tomorrow when I make more. (I can’t wait to do it next time using charms and fruity pebbles… I usually mix those two in my French toast mix, crushed of course, and my kids friends always request that after sleep overs)
Thank you for the cookie idea, it worked out great.
Great recipe! I made these using Maple Nut Oatmeal Crisp (crushed slightly) and added white chocolate chips.(no nuts or dried cranberries) Also I used melted cooled butter so you only need to whisk in the sugars, egg and vanilla and stir in the dry ingredients. I would reduce the white sugar a bit next time. I will definitely try other variations.
This is a great excuse for cookies but if its just the crumbs he doesnt like you can always strain the cereal. Crumbs go through and all the good cereal bits are left behind for him to enjoy. Just be sure to put in in a real bowl before adding milk haha
Hey love this recipe but don’t have any brown sugar, flour or baking soda. I have raw sugar? And also cornflour? Can these work and do I need the baking soda if I have baking powder?
Thanks
Doesn’t quite sound like the recipe for you :) I’ve never worked with cornflour so I’m not sure how that will work.
thanks for the recipe…these ROCK! Made mine with less flour and they came out like lace cookies…Will add to my small repertoire!
Sounds yummy – but how many cookies will the recipe make?
If you make them nice and big you will get a good 2 dozen, I tend to make them smaller and get closer to 4 dozen :)
I have neither cookie sheets nor
Baking powder. Can I directly grease the pan and bake them? Are cookie sheets important?
What kind of pan are you thinking of baking them in? Baking powder is also important for proper rising.
Can you make cookies without brown sugar.
Yes, you can substitute white sugar or omit it, they will just be more crunchy/less chewy :)
I have a cabinet full of leftover chocolate cruesli cereal boxes and can’t wait to try this recipe! Unfortunately I live in the Netherlands where BAKING POWDER is hard to find. I have Baking Soda on hand, so that’s no problem.
Do you think I need to use both or can I omit /sub the Baking Powder for something else?
They do react with different things so the texture won’t be quite the same without the baking powder, but they should still taste good! Otherwise maybe you could find self-raising flour, which has the leaveners in it already?
I know it’s a few years later, but you can make your own baking powder using one part baking soda and two parts cream of tartar. (In this recipe, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, mix and use 1/2 tsp and discard the remaining 1/4 tsp.) Just don’t try to make a bunch of it and store for later or the acid/base reaction will neutralize before you have a chançe o bake with it.
Now what a great idea. Good way too go rid the cabinet of little bits of cereal here and there.