Cornflakes Not Just For Breakfast

It's kinda cool when you get out of your comfort zone and life smacks you with surprise. You wonder just how you've been missing out all this time, right? Well, let's just say, this blog post is kinda one of those moments! Simple. Clever. Surprise.

From a box of cornflakes!

Cornflakes. I mean...who has these for breakfast anymore? Truly a staple in the American household, I love them. Fresh, crunchy, ice cold milk. Nothing is better!

Recently, cornflakes have been re-surfacing and making a comeback in an "outside-the-box" kind of way!  I stumbled upon two perfect college level recipes from London, UK and Iceland...all without skimping on quality and flavor, or blowing your remaining college grocery budget.

Perfect recipes for the Season of Giving! Take about 15 minutes to throw these bites of awesome-ness towards anyone crossing your path--friends, roommates, professors, family, guests, acquaintances--and pursue WOW in everything you do, especially GIVING!

(Adapted recipes from Ina Garten's Make Ahead Cookbook and Saveur Magazine)

English Chocolate Crisps

I like my chocolate a little less sweet than milk chocolate so I adjusted the ratio somewhat, but this recipe is guaranteed to turn out as long as you use high-quality chocolate and fresh cereal.

Equipment:
Mixing Bowls, large and medium
Spatula
Wooden Spoon
Parchment Paper
Microwave

Ingredients:
7 1/4 oz of bittersweet chocolate, i.e. Lindt
5 1/2 oz milk chocolate, i.e. Lindt
3 cups cornflakes
1/3 cup cranberries or cherries

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Chop the two chocolates roughly. Remove 25% to a separate cup.
3. Place 75% of chocolate into a microwave-proof mixing bowl
4. Microwave on HIGH x 30 seconds. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.

5. Repeat this interval until chocolate almost melted, then reduce to 15 second intervals.
6. Add remaining chocolate, stirring vigorously until all chocolate melted and smooth.

7. Pour the chocolate over the cornflakes and fold in chocolate with a rubber spatula to coat cereal.

8. Add cranberries.

9. Prepare a surface, i.e. counter or cookie sheet, with parchment paper.
10. Use 2 soup spoons to dollop chocolate mixture onto parchment paper. Allow to cool completely.

Icelandic Chocolate-Cornflake Meringues

These are light fluffy, melt in your mouth after a chewy, crunchy middle.  Prepare to have a lot of friends. You may need to borrow a hand mixer or buy one to make these awesome little bites. The eggwhites are whipped into stiff peaks that become like marshmallow fluff.

Equipment:

Mixing bowls

Cookie sheet 

Parchment paper

Handmixer

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups cornflakes

4- 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Preheat oven to 300F degrees. Cover your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Use a handmixer to beat egg whites into soft peaks while slowly adding the sugar.

4. Add the vanilla.

5. Fold coarsely chopped chocolate and cornflakes into the egg whites or pour the egg white mixture over the chocolate and cereal.

6. Carefully fold everything to coat the ingredients.

7. Use a spoon to drop tablespoon size mounds onto parchment paper cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crisp and slightly browned.

9. Allow to cool completely. 

10. Wrap these up and create smiles.