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Indulge in nostalgia with these easy no-bake Christmas wreath cookies – fun, kid-friendly goodies, perfect for Christmas!!
Cornflake Wreaths – it’s a Thing!
One treat we made growing up that brings back all the nostalgia are today’s Christmas Wreath Cookies. They are made using cornflakes and cinnamon candies and come together in under 20 minutes.
These vintage no bake cookies are not only adorable, but they’re great for cookie plates, gifting and parties. You can even decorate them with licorice strings and snow-white frosting.
Add them to your next Christmas get together along with our Christmas Tree Brownies, Christmas Cookies and Christmas Chex Mix!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- No bake. No oven is required! Just 10 minutes to assemble and then let them set.
- Full of nostalgia. These festive wreath shapes will spruce up any dessert table, or holiday cookie tray.
- Fun for everyone. Both kids and adults will enjoy making and eating these cute wreaths!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOL TIME: 1 hour
- ½ cup butter – use salted or unsalted butter
- 4 cup mini marshmallows – (or 42 Jumbo Marshmallows) Always use fresh marshmallows, otherwise, they don’t melt correctly or can produce a hard cookie.
- 1 teaspoon green food coloring – or more to get the deep green coloring
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups cornflakes cereal
- 1 (2.25-ounce) package cinnamon red hot candies – or red mini M&M’s
- optional bow – Using Twizzler Pull “N” Peel, pull off a section, and form it into a small figure 8 with the ends hanging down. Trim, if needed and you’ve got a bow!
How to Make Christmas Wreath Cookies
- PREP. Prepare a piece of greased wax paper, and set it aside.
- CEREAL MIXTURE. Add 4 cups marshmallows and ½ cup butter to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and heat for 2 more minutes.
- Working quickly, add 1 teaspoon green coloring, ½ teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir, then add 4 cups cornflakes. Stir until evenly coated.
- Scoop a spoonful of the cornflake mixture and drop it in clumps on the wax paper. To make a wreath shape, lightly grease your fingers and form a hole in the center of each clump (about 8-10 wreaths).
- DECORATE. Add several red hots to the newly shaped wreath to make it look like holly berries. Apply decoration before the cookie wreaths cool and set. Otherwise, they will not stick.
- ENJOY! Lightly grease a storage container. Allow the treats to cool and set for about 1 hour before transferring them to the container.
Prevent Hard Cookies
Using old marshmallows, overheating the marshmallows, or adding extra cornflakes can result in a hard cookie.
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Christmas Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon green food coloring
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups cornflakes cereal
- 1 (2.25-ounce) package cinnamon red hot candies
Instructions
- Prepare a piece of greased wax paper and set it aside.
- Add the marshmallows and butter to a large microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and heat for 2 more minutes.
- Working quickly add the green coloring and extracts. Stir, then add the cornflakes. Mix until evenly coated.
- Scoop a spoonful of the mixture and drop it in clumps on the wax paper. To make a wreath shape lightly grease your fingers and form a hole in the center of each clump. Add several red hots to the newly shaped wreath.
- Lightly grease a storage container. Allow the treats to cool and set before transferring them to the container.
- Makes 8-10 wreaths.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store the cookies for 5-7 days in a lightly greased airtight container, separating layers with wax paper.
Wrap each wreath with plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe container for 4-6 weeks. Let the wreaths come to room temperature before eating.
I wanted more wreaths than what the recipe yield was, so I multiplied all ingredients by 1 1/2. Wreaths turned out beautifully; I followed directions exactly. The hardest part of this recipe: making the holes in the center of each cookie! Red hot candies stuck…did not fall off…but note these cookies do take a while to set up. I flash froze some of them, put them in an airtight container in the freezer and will take them out to serve on Christmas Day. Delicious!
Tried making the Wreaths today, what a waste of time and funds. They would not stay together. I done some research and every thing that I read stated to use 5 to 6 table spoons of butter, not a cup. I finally had to spread the mixture and put in refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours, and cut with a cookie cutter, and they still want stay together, you touch they and they are in clumps.
Sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience with the recipe. Thanks for the feedback and for giving it a try.
We doubled the recipe, including the food coloring, but the wreaths turned out yellow instead of green. Any thoughts on what we may have done wrong?
Me and the kids made these today and the flavor was great but once set they were really hard. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened.
I’m not sure either! Sometimes a marshmallowy treat like these (or Rice Krispie treats) get hard it’s because the marshmallow was cooked on too high of a heat. Maybe melting the marshmallow and butter in a saucepan over low heat might help them stay softer? Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor!
This recipe took me straight to my childhood. My mom made these every year. I missed seeing the recipe to make them before Christmas this year but im sure my kids won’t mind having them for New Years!