Toasted Cornflake Crispies

and a really small fathers day gift guide

My claim to fame is my toasted rice krispie treats recipe (at least from my perspective). I have heard from several people who made the recipe and noted they were absolutely devoured + well loved. They are truly worth the hype.

I wanted to switch up the cereal and tried to make with cornflakes. The ratios in the first run were off, but I have since perfected them. I want to say these are even better than with the rice krispie cereal…but it’s a personal journey! Of my friends and family I have shared with, it is a split - some prefer with the rice crispies and some prefer with the cornflakes. I fall within the latter category. To me - the toasted cornflakes lend to a little more nuanced flavor than the puffed rice.

Toasted cornflake crispies

18oz cornflake cereal

8oz/2 sticks of salted, European butter (I use Kerrygold)

20oz large marshmallows

Small bag of mini marshmallows

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp toasted milk powder (optional but highly recommend - see Note below)

Salt, to taste

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and pour the cornflakes on two sheet pans to form a thin layer (you can also slightly crush the cornflakes with your hands if you would prefer smaller, more broken up pieces of the cereal). While the oven is preheating, measure out the remaining ingredients and prep a 9x13 baking dish with parchment or foil and grease with butter/nonstick spray.

Put the cereal in the preheated oven and allow to get toasty (you’ll want to stir every few minutes. I have seen this step vary from a time perspective for other people who have made this recipe. However, split between two 1/2 sheet pans, mine probably took about 10-12 minutes total. Regardless, keep an eye on this as cooking time varies wildly on the baking receptacle and different oven calibrations).

Once toasted, set aside. Next, get a large pot and place on the stove. Put on medium heat and add allow to warm for 2-3 minutes.

Add your 2 sticks of butter and allow to brown. First the butter will simmer (this is the water evaporating), then you’ll stir constantly, scraping the bottom, until you see brown bits coming up.

At this point, turn your heat to low and add in the large marshmallows, stirring constantly (if your marshmallows are melting quickly, take the pot off the heat and stir so they all uniformly melt. Add back to the heat etc. Your biggest villain here is getting the marshmallows too hot (boiling point) and then later causing your crispies to harden instead of that soft/pull apart texture). Once melted, turn off the heat and add in your vanilla, toasted milk powder, and salt (I get mine pretttty salty) and stir until combined. Pull the pot off the stove to another flat surface. Add in the toasted cornflakes and fold in, working quickly so the mixture doesn’t seize up. Once mostly mixed, add in a few handfuls of mini marshmallows and fold in (these will leave little melty pockets in the mixture).

Transfer the mixture to the prepared 9x13 dish and press down with your hands (I oil my hands so it doesn’t stick). Allow to set for about an hour. Cut into squares and finish with flaky salt.

Note: I have gotten lots of questions on the toasted milk powder, so let me clarify. You can just purchase a simple can of powdered milk (i.e. comes in a tin in the shelf-stable milk aisle, near sweetened condensed milk/evaporated milk - Carnation is a common brand). To toast, set your oven to 350 degrees. On a large, parchment-lined sheet pan, empty the contents of the powder onto the pan (keep the tin can - can store excess here! Spread into an even, thin layer. Place in the oven and allow to toast, stirring intermittently. You know when it’s done when it turns a lovely, amber/golden color (around 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven). Allow to cool completely. Place in an airtight container and add to just about any baked treat for a delicious added flavor (this stuff keeps forever).

Few father’s day gift ideas

• Swim trunks - we got my dad some swim trunks from LuluLemon for his birthday, and he’s super excited about them

• Golf notebook - I love this cute little leather notebook that fits in a back pocket where he can keep up with the latest stats on his golf game (and hopefully document his imminent hole in one).

• Rlly nice box of steaks - my sister likes luxury handbags, I like luxury cookware, so the guys deserve a s slice of luxury too. Can’t go wrong with some luxury meats. This is where I got my ham for my ham party - really high-quality and well-sourced meats.

• Carbon steel griddle - Griddle that can go on your gas stovetop, induction stovetop, grill etc. Would be a great gift to add some versatility to cooking at home (fried rice, smashburgers, brekkie…the possibilities are endless).

• Any Jack Rudy products - if the dad in your life likes to make a cocktail, Jack Rudy is a bespoke brand with beautiful branding but also high-quality ingredients to back up the pretty packaging.

• Instant read thermometer - one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. Quick way to gauge if your meat is cooked to your preferred temp, I genuinely use this everyday

• Material Kitchen Knife Sharpener - tiny but mighty knife sharpener, can pack it to take it to the lake or beach vacation and make the most average knives put it alot of work for you.

• Jordan’s perfume - My friend Chandler is obsessed with colognes/scents and always smells amazing. I gave him a hug at a friends wedding and could not stop sniffing him and he shared he was wearing Jordan’s perfume from Ranger Station. I have now gifted this to several guys in my life and it’s really the best. If you’re scared to try to big version, they have a rollerball mini that would be a great add-on. Also could get one of their candles - when it’s done burning you can repurpose it into a whiskey glass and each candle come with a little recipe card + some fun matched.