Christina Tosi's cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar

Christina Tosi is a baking genius. Seriously. Everything I have ever tried from her cookbook Momofuku Milk Bar, is outstanding. My daughter Margo, is the baker in the family. Margo discovered and perfected this incredible cookie recipe. I call them "crack cookies" because they are downright addicting. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Cornflake crunch

This stuff is great. Christina uses cornflake crunch in several of her baking recipes, including this recipe, but Cornflake crunch is also good sprinkled on ice cream. The quantities I call out in this recipe uses a whole box of corn flakes, because what else are you going to do with a box of cornflakes? You can make the cornflake crunch in advance and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. You will only need 6 cups of cornflake crunch for these cookies, which will give you an extra 3 cups for your ice cream, or a half batch of cookies. Your choice.

Tip: When you crunch up the cornflakes, it can be a little hard on your hands. Really, I'm not a wuss, cornflakes have sharp edges. Put a plastic bag over your hands and crunch the cornflakes through the plastic.

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Creaming the butter and sugar is the critical step

Properly creaming the butter and the sugar is essential for this recipe, and really for all baking. The creaming process dissolves the sugar and incorporates air into the dough, resulting in cookies with crispy edges and gooey, fudge-like interiors.

If you have a stand mixer use it with the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar. The key to this recipe is creaming the butter, sugar and eggs for a good 10-12 minutes until the mixture is really fluffy and pale in color. If you don't have a stand mixer, plan to get cozy with your hand mixer. Unless you are a triathlete, you don't want to attempt creaming by hand. Use a timer when creaming the butter and sugar.

What is room temperature butter?

It is important to start with room temperature butter. "Room temperature" is a misnomer, because it doesn't mean the temperature of your room. If you live in Hawaii or Florida, room temperature butter does not mean 80 degrees. Room temperature butter is about 65 to 70 degrees, still cool to the touch, but it will give when pressed. If you let your butter get too warm and melty it will not cream properly.

Make the dough in advance

Once the dough is made, it needs to be chilled a minimum of one hour and up to one week. Margo has experimented with the refrigeration time and is adamant that for the best cookies that are crispy on the edges and gooey in the center, refrigerate at least 24 hours before baking.

Making the dough in advance is handy if you want to bake up a few cookies every evening. Which of course you will want to do, because remember, they are crack cookies and you will be needing a regular fix. My strategy, however, is to bake all the cookies at once and then give most of them away. That way there is no temptation left in the house. I have zero willpower when it comes to these cookies.

Bake on silpat, parchment or foil

Line your cookie sheets with a sheet of silpat, parchment or foil. Silpat is best as the cookies spread more and crisp at the edges. Buy an 11 5/8 x 16 1/2 silpat to fit a standard 13 x 18 jelly roll baking sheet.

See my blog post for three tips to making great cookies.

Prepare in steps

These cookies can be prepared in steps, over several days. First make the cornflake crunch. Then make the dough and form them into balls. Refrigerate overnight and then bake sometime over the next week. Margo has rushed the process and baked the cookies after only 20 minutes in the fridge. They were delicious, but did not form the crispy edges that are created when the dough is thoroughly chilled. So in a pinch you can minimize the chilling, but if you have the time, chill the dough at least overnight before baking.

Chocolate chip, cornflake & marshmallow cookies

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Christina Tosi’s cornflake, chocolate chip and marshmallow cookies are nothing short of amazing.

• Author: Something New For Dinner
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 33 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hours 3 minutes
• Yield: 30 -40 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 12-ounce box of cornflakes
• 1 cup powdered milk
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 2 t kosher salt
• 2 sticks of unslated butter plus 2 T, melted
• 1 pound of unsalted butter ( 4 sticks), room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 1/2 t kosher salt
• 6 cups cornflake crunch (see above)
• 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

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Instructions

1. To make the cornflake crunch heat the oven to 275 degrees. Pour the cornflakes in a large bowl and crunch them up with your hands until their volume is reduced to one quarter of their original volume. Add powdered milk, sugar and salt, and toss some more to combine. Pour in the melted butter and continue to toss until all the cornflakes are coated and they begin to form small clumps.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the cornflake clumps out on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to a month.
3. To make the cookie dough, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you have one. On medium-high speed, cream together the butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix for another 7 to 9 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Butter is creamed when it is light and fluffy, has expanded in volume and is pale yellow in color.
4. Add flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low speed for one minute, just enough to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cornflake crunch and chocolate chips and mix on low speed for 30 to 45 seconds until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and stir in the marshmallows by hand, just until incorporated.
5. Make dough balls using a 2 3/4 ounce ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring cup. The dough balls will be about 2″ in diameter. This is the best size to get the right balance of crispy on the edges and gooey on the inside. Lay the dough balls out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight and up to one week.
6. When you are ready to bake the cookies heat your oven to 350 degrees if using a convection oven, or 375 degrees if using a conventional oven. Line your baking sheet with a silpat, parchment paper or foil. Put 6 cookies on each 13 x 18″ baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for the cookies to spread. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the pans and bake for another 6 minutes. At this point watch the cookies closely, adding 1 minute of cooking time until the cookie centers are lightly colored and gooey and the edges are crispy and brown. Total cooking time will be between 12 and 14 minutes.
7. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets before transferring to an airtight container. Cookies will last at room temperature for about 5 days and up to a month in the freezer.