Cinnamon Toast Cookies

Cinnamon Toast.  Man, oh man does this stuff evoke my childhood memories.

Like Jem and Jelly shoes;  Hypercolor and Trapper Keepers.

And by the way, why are those things no longer around?  HELLO?!  They're AMAZING.

Anyway, in my family, we're toast people.  I was raised on toast for breakfast.   

My grandma has this thing where she butters the toast, cuts into into three strips and dips it into hot chocolate.  Buttery, chocolate bread.  Simple.  Perfect.

My other grandma loved to spoil me by buying me sugary cereal to have when I stayed, and obviously that cereal would be Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

And my mom, to top it all, made me cinnamon toast.  Oh, I love that sweet cinnamon smell, and watching the cinnamon-sugar dissolve in all that melted butter.  Mmmmmm.

Toast = Childhood.  Who doesn't like to revisit the best of their childhood?

I know I've been waiting to bake up something that brought back all that comforting goodness.

Ever since I purchased the amazing book, Momofuku Milk Bar, (which, I had to order as soon as I found out, because Milkbar is amazing.  See my post, Bakery Odyssey) and saw her recipes for "crunch", I knew I wanted to create one with Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  A Cinnamon Toast Crunch crunch.  Cute.

This "crunch" has been lying in wait until I could find a perfect cookie home for it.  Finally, I think I found it in a Snickerdoodle.

I put my crunch in a delicious cookie, took that cookie and submerged it in some brown butter and then coated it in a brown sugar-cinnamon mix.  The perfect Cinnamon Toast Cookie.

I'm sharing some serious love with you, because this cookie is all from the heart.

Cinnamon Toast Cookie

Cookie adapted from Top with Cinnamon

makes 20 cookies

Crunch:

- 2 1/2 c. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

- 1/4 c. milk powder

- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

In a medium bowl, add cereal and crush into smaller pieces.  Add the milk powder, brown sugar and salt and toss to cover cereal.  Stir in your melted butter until all your cereal appears to be coated evenly.

Spread cereal mix onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 18-20 minutes (until cereal appears browned).

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using in your cookies.

Cookie:

- 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter

- 3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar

- 2 Tbsp. corn syrup

- 2 tsp. vanilla extract

- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk

- 2 Tbsp. ricotta

- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

- 1 3/4 c. flour

- 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

- 1/4 tsp. baking soda

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 2 c. Cinnamon Toast Crunch crunch

Topping:

- 2 sticks salted butter

- 1 c. brown sugar, loosely packed

- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

In a pan, brown butter over medium heat.  At first your butter will melt.  Then it will start to develop the white bits.  As it heats it will sizzle, stir it around.  The butter will foam, and when it does this, stir continuously to prevent butter bits from burning.  It will start to give off a nutty aroma.  Remove from heat when butter bits are a rich brown color.

Once you remove it from the heat stir in your sugar.  Then add in your corn syrup and vanilla.  Stir completely, but your butter will not fully incorporate with all the sugar.  Add sugar mix to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let it cool completely.

Using a paddle attachment, beat in the egg and egg yolk to the cooled butter mixture.  Beat in ricotta and cornstarch, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed.  Beat until butter mixture is creamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add this to your butter mixture.  Mix until just combined.  Scrape down the bowl and add 2 cups of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch crunch.  Mix on low until crunch is just incorporated.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, scoop out all of your dough. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place chilled dough 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes.  Remove and cool on sheet for 7 minutes.

While those are baking prepare your topping.  Brown your 2 sticks of salted butter; this can be optional, just melt it if you prefer, and pour butter into container large enough and wide enough to dunk your cookie.  In a separate, small bowl combine your brown sugar and cinnamon.

Once cookies have "cooled", using a fork, dunk your cookies in the butter, lightly shake to remove any excess and then place into brown sugar.  Use your fork to ensure even coating of the sugar.  Set cookies on a cooling rack.

Then enjoy!!  These may take some time, but they are worth it, especially if you *heart* Cinnamon Toast like I do!

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