Super easy to make cornflake cakes or chocolate cornflakes, a no-bake cookie recipe for crunchy Christmas cookies. They are also known as choco crossies.
These chocolate cornflake cakes or choco crossies are some of the easiest cookie recipes I know. You will only need a few ingredients and less than half an hour's time. The reward is the crispiest cookies ever, full of chocolate and so hard to resist.
These cornflake crossies are my mother-in-law's specialty; she has been making them every year for as long as I know her, and she actually started making them quite a few years before I met her.
They are some of my husband's favorite Christmas cookies; that is the reason... When he starts eating them, he won't stop before he eats about 20 or so.
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Choco Crossies
Christmas is approaching soon. But until then, we are still trying to enjoy every moment of this beautiful month, and one very important part of it is the German Christmas cookies, or the Plรคtzchen, as the Germans call them.
I never knew this in Romania while growing up; we didn't have any particular cookies for Christmas, just the salty Romanian covrigi that my grandmother used to make sometimes and cozonac - sweet bread with walnuts, which I used to hate as a child.
But the Germans do love their Plรคtzchen. There are probably hundreds of recipes for every taste and preference, simple or with jam, with walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, marzipan, chocolate, coconut, and so on.
Ingredients
Chocolate:
- This is the most important ingredient for the crossies.
- I always think that homemade cakes, cookies, or desserts containing so much chocolate can only be as good as the chocolate you use to make them.
- So do take the best brand you can, your favorite brand, that is really important.
- Cheap, low-quality chocolate will just not do in this case.
- I used milk chocolate and bittersweet or dark chocolate. For genuine results (meaning chocolate cornflakes that taste like in Germany), use German or European chocolate.
- I tend to use Milka when I need milk chocolate and Lindt or Sarotti when I need bittersweet or dark chocolate.
- But using those brands is definitely not a must; use your favorite sorts of milk and dark chocolate.
- The cocoa content of the bittersweet or dark chocolate is also up to you; anything between 35% and 75% cocoa is fine; it is all up to your taste.
- If you use bittersweet chocolate, the cornflake cakes will be sweeter. If you use dark chocolate, they will be less sweet.
Cornflakes: Unsweetened plain cornflakes, nothing fancy, the plainest, cheapest cornflakes I can find.
Coconut: The desiccated coconut makes these cornflake cookies complete; I would not leave them out. Use unsweetened desiccated coconut.
Fat: You will need some shortening. If you live in Germany, use Palmin.
Sugar: Icing/powdered/confectioner's sugar.
How to make cornflake cakes?
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Chop the chocolate finely and place it in a metal bowl.
- Find a pot where the bowl fits easily on top, fill it halfway with water, and place the bowl with the chocolate on top. Make sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Heat the water but make sure it doesn't start to boil, which will ruin the chocolate. If you notice that the water starts to simmer, immediately remove the pot from the heat.
- Melt the chocolate, stirring often.
- Add the shortening and stir until melted and incorporated.
- Remove the bowl from the pot.
- Add the icing sugar and coconut flakes.
- Mix everything very well and add the cornflakes in two batches.
- You might think there are too many cornflakes at first, but don't worry; you will manage to stir all of them into the chocolate. It is fine if some of the cornflakes get a bit crushed in the process; not all of them will break. Just be gentle.
- Use two teaspoons to spoon small heaps on the baking trays.
- Leave to set for several hours or overnight.
How to store them?
- Store the cornflake cakes in an airtight container.
- They will keep for at least two weeks in a slightly cooler place; there is no need to keep them refrigerated.
More chocolate treats
Traditional German Cookies
Recipe
Cornflake Cakes
Ingredients
- 300 g good quality milk chocolate 10.6 oz/ 2 cups , (Note 1)
- 200 g good quality bittersweet or dark chocolate 7 oz/ 1 โ cups, (Note 1 and 2)
- 50 g shortening 1.7 oz/ ยผ cup, (Note 3)
- 100 g icing sugar powdered/confectioner's sugar, 3.5 oz/ 1 cup
- 150 g unsweetened desiccated coconut 5.3 oz/ 1 ยฝ cup
- 200 g plain cornflakes unsweetened, 7 oz/ 8 cups
Instructions
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt chocolate: Chop the chocolate, place it in a metal bowl. Find a pot where the bowl fits easily on top, fill it halfway with water and place the bowl with the chocolate on top. Make sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat the water but make sure it doesn't start to boil; that will ruin the chocolate. Melt the chocolate, stirring often.
- Combine: When the chocolate is melted, add the shortening and stir until melted and incorporated. Take the bowl off the heat and add the icing sugar and the coconut flakes. Mix everything very well.
- Add the cornflakes in two batches. You might think there are too many cornflakes at first, but don't worry, you will manage to stir all of them into the chocolate.
- Use two teaspoons to spoon small heaps on the baking trays. Leave to set for several hours or overnight.
- Store in an airtight container; they will keep for at least two weeks.
Notes
- Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
- It is preferable to weigh the chocolate, as the way you chop the chocolate might differ from one person to another, some will chop it finer and some rougher. The cup measuring would be too inexact in this case.
- You can use bittersweet or dark chocolate with a cocoa content between 35% and 75% according to taste.
- If you live in Germany, use Palmin.
Hanna says
Can the shortening be butter? Or coconut oil
L?
Adina says
I have only made it as described. The shortening we use in Germany is called palmin, which is actually coconut fat, but Not the same as coconut oil. You could try a smaller portion with coconut oil, but I cannot say how that will work. I would not use butter. Should you try coconut oil, please let me know if it works.
Adina says
Thank you, Marcela. It would be great if you would make these. ๐
marcela says
Choco crosses look fantastic! I'm pretty sure I'll use your recipe soon!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
These chocolate clusters look very delicious! Very festive and beautiful clicks as well, Adina.
Adina says
Thank you, Angie. ๐
Chris Scheuer says
I never heard of Plรคtzchen but these sound wonderful. I love how simple they are too and I can see how any chocolate lover would gobble them up!
Adina says
A must-be for any chocolate lover, as long as one uses good quality chocolate.
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
What a wonderful easy holiday treat --- I adore chocolate and coconut together. I know what you mean about the slight sadness of the season...it shoots by and I never really feel 'in the moment'...good thing it comes around again year after year ๐ Have a good one, Adina.
Adina says
Thank you, Sue. You too. ๐
Adina says
I go crazy watching him eat sometimes and not just chocolate. He can eat anything, no matter the time of day or night, no matter the quantity and he looks like he spends his life making sports (which he doesn't) and eating salad.
Kathryn Doherty says
Ha, no fair indeed- I wish I could eat ALL the chocolate crossies and not pay for it like your husband. I'm a total chocolate lover and these look so delicious! That crunch factor? Oh yes, bring it on! Yum!!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Funny, but not funny... because I posted something you can't have and you posted something I can't have (I'm allergic to cocoa). Life is so unfair! These choco crossies look delish, my dear! I know my husband will love these little chunks of chocolatey love! Cheers, girlfriend- to a beautiful day!!
Adina says
Cocoa allergy, that is hard. I would send your husband some choco crossies but I am afraid they would not make it across the border. ๐