Brighten your holiday cookie plate with corn flake wreaths!
These corn flake wreaths are basically rice krispy treats, but better. You get the classic marshmallow (and butter) flavor but with a little more depth of flavor from the corn flakes and better crunch. The flakes also do a great job of mimicking leaves and the cinnamon candies are the perfect stand in for holly berries. They’re festive, delicious, and best of all, super easy to make!
Family Lore
Corn flake wreaths are a relatively recent family recipe acquisition. My mom was introduced to them via an old work friend who used to bring them into the office during the holidays. Since then, she’s included them as the centerpiece of our standard cookie plate, as a pop of color and decoration more or less.
Because of that, I’ve always found it interesting how many people say this cookie is their favorite. I always make sure my mother-in-law gets extras and I’ve made them a few times when it wasn’t Christmas time. Quick tip: Any color besides green has yielded suspect results as the corn flake base is yellow.
Original Recipe
This is by far my favorite recipe original recipe. Mostly because it’s written on a Tigger Post-It note.
However, a few other fun observations:
- There are no real instructions, just ingredients.
- It calls for a “3/4 Stick of butter” which is an uncommon measurement. The first time I made these on my own I read it as “3/4 Cup Butter.” The result? Very runny wreaths.
- I always find it funny when my mom crosses out instructions and leaves notes for herself on recipes. One of the most famous instances of this is when she crossed out a Hollandaise recipe with the note “Not this one.” She then proceeded not to indicate what or where the preferred recipe could be found.
Check out all of my Family’s Christmas Cookies here.
Corn Flake Wreaths
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1 bag Mini marshmallows
- ½ tsp Salt
- 10 drops Green food coloring
- 5 Cups Corn flakes
- Cinnamon Candies
- Extra butter to prevent sticking
Instructions
- Line a sheet try with buttered wax or parchment paper.
- In a large pot, melt the butter then add the mini marshmallows and salt. Stir until melted then remove from the heat.6 Tbsp Unsalted butter, 1 bag Mini marshmallows, ½ tsp Salt
- Add about 10 drops of green food coloring. Feel free to adjust based on how green you'd like the wreaths to be.10 drops Green food coloring
- Add the cornflakes and fold until well coated.5 Cups Corn flakes
- Rub butter all over your hands to make the cornflakes easier to handle. Then grab a small handful, shape into a ball, and then poke a hole in the center so that you end up with a wreath shape.Extra butter to prevent sticking
- Place on the sheet tray and add 3 cinnamon candies as the "holly berries" and then repeat with the remaining corn flakes.Cinnamon Candies
