All you need is 4 ingredients to make these quick and easy no-bake peanut butter cornflake cookies. They’re simultaneously sweet, nutty, crunchy, and ridiculously addictive.

Many of you may remember these deliciously chewy peanut butter cornflake cookies from your childhood. This is an old-fashioned recipe that my husband’s grandmother used to make for him. If they don’t immediately ring a bell, the first bite might fix that! They are super easy to make and a nice break from your standard cookie as they are made on the stovetop.

All you need is cornflakes, peanut butter, corn syrup, and white sugar. The instructions are as simple as the ingredients. We’re just going to slowly combine them on the stovetop until we have a cookie mixture. Then we shape them into cookies, let them cool completely, and then they’re ready to serve.

There’s so much to love about this peanut butter cornflake cookie recipe:

It’s so quick and easy. They take about 15 minutes to make and then you just have to wait for them to cool.
You only need 4 ingredients.
This one recipe makes 60 cookies! But they’ll still be gone in the blink of an eye…
These cookies are perfect for sweet and savory fans. You’ve got sweet and salty nutty notes combined with chewy crunchy cereal. What more could you want?

I’ve convinced you now, right? Let’s make some peanut butter cornflake cookies!

Recipe Ingredients

Granulated sugar
Light corn syrup (usually sold as Karo), light-colored honey, or maple syrup.
Creamy peanut butter
Cornflakes

How To Make Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies

Tear off two large sheets of waxed paper (about 12 x 16 each) and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Set aside on a table or countertop.

Place sugar and corn syrup (or light honey/maple syrup) in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Stir constantly as it comes to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat.

Immediately stir in peanut butter until smooth.

Pour the entire box of cornflakes in and stir rapidly until coated.

Like this.

Drop spoonfuls of the cornflake mixture onto the greased waxed paper and allow them to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.

These are so chewy and good!

All of your peanut butter lovers will flip and those who remember these from their childhood might even tear up a bit after the first bite.

Enjoy!

Storage

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can also store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.

Recipe Notes

If you crave more sweetness, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract when you add the creamy peanut butter.
They only need about 20 to 30 minutes to cool before serving.
You can make them as big or as small as you like. You can use an ice cream scoop for bigger cornflake cookies.
I prefer using creamy peanut butter, but you can use crunchy peanut butter instead. You can really use any nut butter, like sunflower butter or almond butter (just not natural peanut butter).
You can adapt this recipe and use any kind of flaky cereal, like Chex, Crispix, or Rice Krispies.
For chocolate peanut butter cornflake cookies, you can either drizzle melted chocolate on top or mix in some mini chocolate chips.
Add a pinch of salt to enhance the peanut butter flavor.

Recipe FAQs

How do you make gluten-free cornflake cookies?

Use either gluten-free cornflakes or Rice Chex cereal for gluten-free peanut butter cornflake cookies.

What mix-ins can I add to my cornflake cookies?

Here are some mix-in suggestions that you can add with the cornflakes:

Mini chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips
Peanut butter chips
Sweetened coconut flakes
Sprinkles
Mini M&Ms
Chopped nuts (or candied pecans)
Crushed pretzels
Crushed Twix or any candy bar like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

What can I substitute for corn syrup in cornflake cookies?

Instead of corn syrup (a.k.a karo syrup), you can use honey, maple syrup, or even mini marshmallows. Mini marshmallows will melt down like corn syrup for the same effect.