Brown Butter Caramel Cornflake Cookies

Soft, chewy bakery-style cookies made with deeply browned butter, pockets of gooey caramel, and buttery toasted cornflakes for the perfect sweet-and-salty crunch.

Yield: 12 large bakery-style cookies (or 18 medium cookies)

Prep Time: 25 minutes (plus chilling)

Bake Time: 11–14 minutes

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter

• 225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder

For the Toasted Cornflakes

• 1½ cups cornflakes

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• Pinch of flaky or kosher salt

For the Cookie Dough

• 170 g (¾ cup packed) light brown sugar

• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• 280 g (2⅓ cups) all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons (14 g) nonfat dry milk powder (if you already browned 2 tbsp with the butter, omit this here)

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Mix-Ins

• 170–200 g (1–1¼ cups) caramel bits

• Toasted cornflakes (from above)

Optional Finishing

• Flaky sea salt

  
  

Instructions

Step 1: Brown the Butter

In a light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Once melted, whisk in the milk powder. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the butter foams and the milk solids become a deep golden brown with a rich, nutty aroma, about 6–8 minutes.

Immediately pour the butter and all the browned bits into a heatproof bowl. Allow it to cool until warm but still liquid, about 20–30 minutes.

Step 2: Toast the Cornflakes

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Toss the cornflakes with the melted butter, sugar, and salt until evenly coated.

Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Cool completely before folding into the dough.

Step 3: Make the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.

Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until only a few streaks of flour remain.

Gently fold in the caramel bits and the cooled toasted cornflakes.

Step 4: Chill

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the best flavor and thicker cookies.

Step 5: Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Portion the dough into:

• 90–100 g scoops for large bakery-style cookies

• 55–60 g scoops for medium cookies

Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving plenty of room for spreading.

Bake:

• Large cookies: 12–14 minutes

• Medium cookies: 10–12 minutes

The edges should be lightly golden while the centers still look slightly underbaked.

If desired, gently press a few extra caramel bits into the tops immediately after baking.

Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Baker's Notes

• Browning the milk powder along with the butter creates extra toasted milk solids, giving the cookies an intense caramelized, butterscotch-like flavor.

• Toasting the cornflakes first keeps them crisp after baking and prevents them from becoming soft inside the dough.

• Chilling the dough helps reduce spreading and allows the caramel flavor to develop.

• If using caramel bits, expect some to melt into the dough. Pressing a few extra onto the tops after baking gives the cookies a more polished bakery appearance.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

For longer storage, freeze unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the baking time.