Don Signature Crab - Singapore Food Guide

Honey Cornflakes Cookies

A Singapore-style baked honey cornflakes cookies recipe — crunchy, honey-sweet biscuits using cornflakes and butter, perfect for kopi break or CNY tin gifts.

Honey Cornflakes Cookies

About this dish

Honey Cornflakes Cookies are a simple, nostalgic teatime treat that fits right into Singapore home kitchens and kopitiam memories. Think crunchy shards of cornflakes bound with a buttery, honey-sweet cookie base — the kind of bite that goes perfectly with kopi, teh tarik or a glass of cold barley on a humid afternoon. These cookies are easy to make in a small oven at home, so they’re ideal for busy parents, home bakers in HDB flats around the heartlands, or anyone who wants a quick bake for a neighbourhood potluck.

In Singapore they work as versatile snacks — pack them into tins for Chinese New Year, bring them to a block party in Tiong Bahru or leave a stack on the makan table after a family dinner. The texture is the star: a tender, slightly chewy cookie centre with crunchy cornflake pockets that catch the light and make each bite fun. You can tweak the sweetness, add chopped peanuts or coconut for local flavour, or mix in a pinch of sea salt for contrast, echoing the balance you find at good zi char stalls.

This version keeps ingredients familiar and easy to source from NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage or neighbourhood provision shops: plain flour, butter, honey, eggs and a big handful of cornflakes. The method is straightforward — cream, fold, scoop and bake — so even novice bakers in the CBD or eastern heartlands can get consistent results. Make a double batch for parties, or halve it for a quick afternoon bake; either way, these cookies capture a Singapore-style sweet moment that’s easy to share.

Ingredients

  • 200 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 120 g caster sugar
  • 80 g light brown sugar, packed
  • 100 g honey (use runny honey for easy mixing)
  • 1 large egg (≈50 g), at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250 g plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 100 g rolled oats (optional, for chewiness)
  • 150 g cornflakes, lightly crushed (leave some bigger flakes for crunch)
  • 50 g chopped roasted peanuts or almonds (optional)
  • 30 g desiccated coconut (optional, gives Malay/Peranakan twist)
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional, for toasting and garnish)
  • extra honey for drizzling (optional)

Step-by-Step Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C) and line two baking trays with baking paper; if using a conventional oven, set to 190°C.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with caster sugar and light brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes using a wooden spoon or electric mixer on medium speed.
  3. Beat in the egg until incorporated, then stir in the honey and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder and sea salt. If using oats, add them to the dry mix.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. The dough will be slightly sticky.
  6. Gently fold in the crushed cornflakes, chopped nuts and desiccated coconut if using, keeping some larger cornflake pieces intact to preserve crunch.
  7. Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough (about 25–30 g each) onto the prepared trays, spacing 3–4 cm apart. Slightly press each mound to flatten to cookie thickness because they won’t spread much.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, rotating trays halfway; look for golden edges and a set top but still slightly soft centre — they crisp as they cool.
  9. Remove trays from the oven and let cookies sit on the tray for 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. If desired, drizzle a little extra honey or sprinkle toasted sesame seeds while warm.
  10. Once fully cooled, store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days or pack in decorative tins for CNY or potlucks; re-crisp in a 150°C oven for 3 minutes if softened.

Tips & Serving Ideas

  • Buy cornflakes and basic pantry items at NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage or Sheng Siong; for crunchier results use a thick variety of cornflakes rather than 'light' flakes.
  • To control sweetness, start with 80 g honey and taste the dough (safe because of egg) — reduce to 70 g if you prefer less sweet, or increase if you like a sticky glaze.
  • For extra crunch, fold in larger pieces of cornflakes at the end rather than pulverising them completely; keep some uncrushed flakes on top before baking.
  • If your kitchen is warm (typical in Singapore flats), chill the dough in the fridge for 10–15 minutes to make scooping easier and to preserve cookie shape.
  • Use room-temperature butter for even creaming; if you only have margarine, reduce baking time by 1–2 minutes as spread can differ.
  • Make-ahead: bake the cookies and store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. For next-day freshness, pop them in a 150°C oven for 2–3 minutes to re-crisp.

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