These gluten free caramel cornflake cookies were an EPIC experiment, and I’m SO excited to finally share the recipe because they’re insanely satisfying. Imagine a rich, chewy-centered, crispy-edged cookie, with crunchy cornflakes and sultry caramel and then make these and stop imagining and actually eat an entire batch. They’ve got all the desirable cookie textures in one perfect package, and are great gifts/party food too! They’ve got a couple more steps than the other cookies on the blog because they use browned butter and homemade caramel, but if you’re a bit nervous about homemade caramel (TOTALLY understandable), you can absolutely grab a store-bought caramel sauce and cut down the time you need to make these! The browned butter and caramel sauce can also be made days in advance so if you have time, it’s easier to spread out the workload. They’re soooo worth the extra effort though! I’d originally experimented by mixing in crushed cornflakes…but after chilling the dough in the fridge for an hour, the cornflakes got all chewy and tough and soggy so when I baked them it was highly disappointing to say the least. This final recipe is the way to go!
Tips for decadent caramel cornflake cookies!
- Be careful with that caramel. If you’re a bit nervous about making homemade caramel, you can TOTALLY use a store-bought caramel sauce!
- Cream the butter + sugars for at LEAST 3-5 minutes. It’s wild how important this step is and how much your butter and sugar will transform after beating it with an electric mixer for minutes and minutes. It’ll change color (become much lighter), look actually creamy (hence the term), and be a bit fluffy. That’s what you’re going for!
- Chill that dough! I recommend at least 1 hour. If you end up chilling it longer than a couple of hours though, be sure to let it rest at room temp for about an hour because it will be too cold/hard at that point and the cookie dough won’t spread as much.
- Don’t overbake those cookies! This is basically the biggest key to getting that chewy center: if you overbake, the center will be just like the edges, crispy and crunchy with no chew. You want the cookie dough to be still soft/look a bit underbaked (they’re safely baked, don’t worry) in the center and as the cookies cool, the center will settle into that glorious chewy bit.
- Slightly crush the cornflakes and make sure you roll cookie dough balls in the crushed cornflakes enough to fully coat the cookies! The more cornflakes you can pack on each one, the better!
- Let those cookies cool!! Because the key is to not bake them to a crisp/cakey disc, the center of your cookies will be very very soft until they cool and set, so let them hang out on the counter (I know, the temptation is real), for at least 15-20 minutes!
- For perfectly round cookies, use a large round cookie cutter to carefully push the edges of the cookies into a circle RIGHT after they come out of the oven!
Here are a bunch of other gluten free cookie recipes that are super easy, fast, and DELICIOUS: triple chocolate cookies, banana nut cookies, chocolate ginger cookies, funfetti cookies, s’mores cookies, coffee walnut chocolate cookies, tahini chocolate chunk cookies, pistachio chocolate chunk cookies, chewy molasses cookies, nutter butter cookies!
Gluten Free Caramel Cornflake Cookies
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Electric mixer
- Cookie sheets
Ingredients
For the caramel:
- ½ Cup white sugar 121g
- 3 Tbsp salted butter room temperature 42g
- ¼ Cup heavy cream 60ml
- 1 tsp vanilla 5ml
- ½ tsp salt 3g
For the cookies:
- 1 ¼ Cup softened salted butter 283g
- ¼ Cup packed light brown sugar 58g
- 1 Cup white sugar 238g
- 1 large eggs plus one egg yolk
- 1 ½ Tbsp vanilla extract 22.5ml
- 1 ¾ Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix that contains xanthan gum 295g if your mix does not contain xanthan gum add 1/2 tsp (1g) now
- 1 Cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch 140g cornflour in the UK
- 1 tsp baking soda 6g
- ½ tsp. salt 4g
- 2 cups gluten free cornflakes for rolling 120g slightly crushed
Instructions
- First, make the browned butter! (this can be done days in advance). In a medium to large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 1 1/4 cup of butter and stir constantly until melted and simmering. Continue to simmer, on medium heat, for at least a few minutes, until the popping and hissing sounds have completely subsided (this is the water in the butter burning off – you’ll know once it’s silent). Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter reaches an amber color and smells nutty or caramelly. The butter will foam up, so keep stirring/lifting up spoonfuls of the butter to see the color. The browned milk solids will foam up in the center of the pan – once it does that- immediately take off the burner and let sit for a few minutes, then pour (scrape ALL of the brown bits – that’s the flavor!) into a heat-proof small bowl and let it cool to room temp (it should be solid). You can refrigerate it now to speed up the cooling.
- Then, make the caramel sauce! In a medium saucepan, constantly whisk the white sugar over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt and clump. Continue stirring constantly until sugar has completely melted, then stop stirring and continue to heat (this will be fast!). Once the caramel looks deep gold (not darker) immediately take off heat and vigorously whisk in the room temp butter until it’s fully combined – this may take a minute to bring it all together. Then put back on medium heat and cook for one minute without stirring. Then, whisking constantly, slowly add the heavy cream until fully combined, then stop stirring and let cook for 30 seconds (not longer or it will be too hard!) – it will bubble up.
- Finally, remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt, and stir until smooth. Pour into a heatproof container and let sit at room temp to cool. Remember, caramel thickens as it cools so if it seems runny, don't worry.
- Then, make your cookies! In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together 1 cup (227g) of the room temp browned butter (it boils down so you should have close to 1 cup left), brown sugar, and white sugar until lighter and fluffy (3-5 minutes – don't skimp on this step!). Add in the egg plus egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until smooth, another 30 seconds. Add in the flour, starch, baking soda, and salt and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula until fully combined (it will be quite stiff). Scoop dough into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Once the cookie dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180° C, no fan) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment and then start scooping out the cookie dough and rolling it into 2-inch round balls. Roll the balls in the crushed cornflakes to coat the entire cookie, then place 4-5 balls on the cookie sheet (~4 inches apart) and bake for 9-10 minutes (do not flatten the balls!) until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Let cookies cool COMPLETELY before removing from the cookie sheet (15 minutes). Finally, drizzle your cooled caramel sauce over the cookies and serve!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cookies!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
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