Caramel Cornflakes! They’re chewy, slightly crunchy, and full of sweet caramel flavor, with just a hint of vanilla and sea salt to make them extra delicious. They're no bake and come together in just a few minutes!
This dessert is so simple that you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making it all your life. All it takes is a few ingredients to create a treat that’s addictive in the best way! Perfect for a quick snack, a potluck, or a last minute dessert craving, these little clusters of joy are bliss. Check out my cornflake slice if you love cornflake recipes and whiskey caramel too!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ridiculously Easy: With just three main ingredients, this caramel cornflake recipe is foolproof and comes together in minutes.
- Amazing Texture: Chewy caramel combined with lightly crunchy cornflakes is a texture dream.
- Incredible Flavor: Sweet caramel gets a boost from vanilla and sea salt, making each cornflake treat rich and satisfying.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: These clusters are great for parties, snacks, or even gifting.
Baking Tips
- Using a kitchen scale is a total game changer for baking. It makes measuring ingredients super precise, so your recipe comes out perfect every single time. Plus, fewer measuring cups means less cleanup — and who doesn’t love that? Invest in one, and you’ll wonder how you ever baked without it!
- I absolutely love baking with fine kosher salt—it gives the perfect balance of flavor. Table salt, on the other hand, can be a bit too harsh, so if you're using it, be sure to cut the amount in half to avoid over-salting your treats.
- Always check your oven temperature! Ovens can be sneaky, sometimes running hotter or cooler than what the dial says, and that can really affect how your baked goods turn out. For the most consistent results, I recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure your temps are spot-on every time
Ingredients
What you'll need for cornflake caramel!
- Chewy Caramels: The wrapped kind, like Kraft or Werther’s, works best for melting. If you love caramel, check out my caramel coffee cake and caramel cheesecake!
- Heavy Cream or Whole Milk: Helps melt the caramels into a smooth, velvety consistency.
- Sea Salt: Adds depth and balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla is best for adding flavor.
- Chocolate Chips (Optional): Dark chocolate is ideal for balancing the sweetness if you want to drizzle or dip.
- Cornflakes: Make sure they are regular unsweetened Cornflakes. They are the star of the show, providing that light, crunchy texture. I like Kelogg's.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Let's make caramel cornflakes!
- Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. This will be where you place your caramel clusters to set. Unwrap all the caramels and place them in a medium saucepan along with the heavy cream.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning, until the caramels are fully melted and smooth. Once the caramel is melted, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and kosher salt until evenly combined.
- Add the Cornflake cereal to the saucepan. Gently fold the cereal into the caramel mixture, ensuring all the flakes are evenly coated.
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out portions of the mixture. Gently pack the mixture into the scoop to make compact clusters that hold their shape. Place each cluster on the prepared parchment paper.
- Allow the clusters to cool and set completely at room temperature before dipping in chocolate. Once firmed up and set, melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until smooth.
- Dip the bottoms of the caramel clusters into the melted chocolate and place them back on the parchment paper. Refrigerate briefly until the chocolate hardens, then remove from the refrigerator and store the clusters at room temperature.
Hint: I like using a medium cookie scoop to push the mixture in a bit to make sure the clusters hold shape.
Pro Tips
- Don’t Overheat the Caramels: Melting them too much can make the caramel cornflake clusters hard instead of chewy.
- Gentle Mixing: When stirring the cornflakes into the caramel, be careful not to crush them.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: This helps you form evenly-sized clusters and gently pack them together so they don’t fall apart.
- Don’t Skip the Vanilla and Salt: These small ingredients pack a big punch in flavor and bring the recipe to life.
- Work Quickly: Once the caramel is melted, you’ll want to coat the cornflakes and form the clusters before it hardens.
More Sweet Treats
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Caramel Cornflakes (no bake)
Caramel Cornflakes! They’re chewy, slightly crunchy, and full of sweet caramel flavor, with just a hint of vanilla and sea salt to make them extra delicious.
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 7.25 oz (205 grams) soft caramels, the individually wrapped kind links to caramel in Notes
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream can also use whole milk
- 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 and ¼ cups (90 grams) Cornflake cereal make sure it is unsweetened
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or a bar cut up melted
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. This will be where you place your caramel clusters to set.
- Unwrap all the caramels and place them in a medium saucepan along with the heavy cream. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning, until the caramels are fully melted and smooth.
- Once the caramel is melted, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and kosher salt until evenly combined
- Add the Cornflake cereal to the saucepan. Gently fold the cereal into the caramel mixture, ensuring all the flakes are evenly coated.
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out portions of the mixture. Gently pack the mixture into the scoop to make compact clusters that hold their shape. Place each cluster on the prepared parchment paper.
- Allow the clusters to cool and set completely at room temperature before dipping in chocolate.
- Once firmed up and set, melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until smooth.
- Dip the bottoms of the caramel clusters into the melted chocolate and place them back on the parchment paper. Refrigerate briefly until the chocolate hardens, then remove from the refrigerator and store the clusters at room temperature.
Notes
I like using Werther's or Kraft soft caramels for this recipe. I like Kellogg's Cornflakes.
Storage:
Room Temperature: Store the cornflake caramel clusters in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Refrigerator: I don't recommend storing the cornflake caramels in the refrigerator they will get too hard.
Freezer: These clusters can also be frozen! Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. They’ll keep for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @stir.taste.smile on social.
Kelsey says
I can’t believe how easy these were to make! The chewiness was perfect
Amanda Valsamis says
I love that!! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
Jess says
Girl these are the most addictive things I’ve ever made!!! 😂
Amanda says
LOL!! I AGREE! Thank you, Jess!!
Kate says
You wouldn’t think something so simple would be as delicious, I
Made these for a soccer party and they were inhaled
Amanda says
LOL!! love that they were inhaled! Thanks so much Kate! 🙂