Chocolate Cereal Cookies

So simple, so easy, and so delicious! Chocolate Cereal Cookies are perfect for sharing and a great option for holiday cookie exchange parties. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly cookie that you can whip up in a hurry, this is it! All you need is 4 ingredients and 10 minutes!

Christmastime is the busiest time of year for most people. I know it most certainly is for me! Sometimes, I wonder why I love it so much. If you think about it, it’s a constant juggling act just trying to keep on top of everything. So, whenever I can get a break, I’ll take it. That’s just what you get with these Chocolate Cereal Cookies. They take no time at all!

I know that’s not what Christmas is supposed to be about, but we do it anyway. I go into absolute overdrive – it’s true! I love it so much and I work feverishly and tirelessly until everything that I’ve been visualizing in my mind comes to fruition.

That is why I wanted to create this no-bake series. I can bake six types of cookies in a day and have so much fun while doing it. Others hate it and don’t have time to spend an entire day baking cookies. For those individuals, my 12 No-Bake Christmas Treats is the answer. There are so many great recipes in this series that are easy, fast, simple, budget-friendly, and of course, delicious! Chocolate Cereal Cookies are all of those things and more!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

• Chocolate Chips – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, because I find that milk chocolate chips are sweeter. I didn’t want the cookies to be too sweet. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or even dark chocolate in this recipe.
• Peanut Butter – I used creamy peanut butter, but you could use chunky if you want the addition of peanuts. Do not use natural peanut butter!
• Special K Cereal – I love to use cereal flakes in no-bake cookies. In this case, I used Special K, but you can use corn flakes too.
• Sprinkles – These are optional, but it’s Christmas, so why not!?

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADD-INS:

When you have a no-bake cookie like this Chocolate Cereal Cookie, you can easily substitute ingredients to make the cookie exactly the way you want it. And, for that matter, you can add things in too. I know in my own personal life, for example, there are some family and friends who do not care for the taste of dark chocolate, so I would not use it. But, if you love dark chocolate, you can certainly use it here.

I used semi-sweet chocolate so that the cookie wasn’t too sweet, but you can use all milk chocolate if that’s what you prefer. As for the cereal, you can substitute those too if you’d like. Any similar cereal will work just fine if you have a favourite. Let’s see – you can use bran flakes, wheat flakes, or even corn flakes. Stay away from sugary flake cereal like Frosted Flakes though. I think these would just be too sweet with a sugary cereal!

How about adding in some ingredients? You can add chopped nuts, dried or candied fruit, and even potato chips! Yes, Dear Reader, finely crushed potato chips in this recipe are wonderful! If you decide to add anything, do not add more than one cup or you will throw off the chocolate to dry ingredient ratio. Also, try topping these with a bit of flaked sea salt. So good!

PROCESSED OR NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER?

This recipe has not been tested with natural peanut butter or any other type of natural nut butters for that matter. In all of my baking, I use Kraft smooth peanut butter. The sugar, the thickness, the creaminess, etc., is all needed to make this recipe turn out right.

If you absolutely need to use natural nut butters, you may need to add extra cereal, because natural nut butters tend to be less thick. Don’t worry, if you add extra flakes, you’ll just end up with extra cookies!

To test, drop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture onto a prepared baking sheet. Watch to see if the mixture holds up, meaning, does it stay in a mound or does it slowly flatten out. If it flattens, add another 1/2 cup of the flakes, stir and try the test again. Again, I have not tested this recipe with natural peanut butter, so don’t blame me if they turn out horribly! Ha!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CEREAL COOKIES

This is a quick and easy no-bake recipe, so it is best to get everything set up before you start. So, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. If you’re using sprinkles, place them in a bowl and set them aside as well.

Next, add the chocolate chips and peanut butter to a large microwave-safe bowl. Whenever you heat chocolate, you should microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Then, if it’s still not silky smooth, reheat in increments of 5 or 10 seconds, depending on your microwave, stirring with a rubber spatula after each increment.

Once done, add the Special K Cereal and use a rubber spatula to stir the cereal into the chocolate mixture until fully coated. Next, use a large cookie or ice cream scoop to portion rounded mounds of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Top the cookies with sprinkles and set aside to cool and set at room temperature for two hours. Once fully cooled and set, store in food safe container.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most no bake confections, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Some of them will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. But, others most certainly will not! If in doubt, store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely hardened, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen confections as a gift, lay them out onto a wire cooling rack in a single layer to thaw out. Condensation might form and that’s normal. Giving them space to breath by not overlapping them will help to eliminate that. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 100 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!