Cornflake Peanut Butter Balls {No Bake}

Name: Cornflake Peanut Butter Balls {No Bake}
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 40
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Cup Sugar; 1 Cup Peanut Butter - creamy; 1 Cup Karo Syrup; 6 Cups Cornflake Cereal

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Cornflake peanut butter balls are an easy sweet treat! They are no bake and just require a couple of ingredients. You won't be able to stop at just one!

Y'all - don't we all love an easy dessert? Well, an easy recipe in general? There is a time and place to play and spend time in the kitchen, don't get me wrong. Just the other week I took on the endeavor of making homemade croissants and that was no small feet (but a delicious one!).

But sometimes you just need quick, easy, fast, and simple ingredients. And no bake cornflake peanut butter balls are just that!

Adapted from the super popular recipe Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls, this is the same recipe but we are using cornflake cereal instead of rice Krispies. It leads a bt of a different texture and flavor but still so stinking good you wont be able to eat just one. So lets bake!

A bowl of Cornflake Peanut Butter cookies. A wooden spoon, more cookies, and cornflakes next to it.

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Ingredients Needed
How to Make
The Secret to Making Perfect No Bake Cornflake Balls
Frequently Asked Questions
More Cookie Recipes
Cornflake Peanut Butter Balls {No Bake}

Ingredients Needed

You only need 4 ingredients for these cookies. For the peanut butter, make sure you use the old fashion-plain-sugar and oil-added-peanut butter.....not the natural stuff. I am a natural peanut butter lover and consumer on a daily basis but when it comes to baking, I don't recommend using it.

Sugar
Peanut Butter
Karo Syrup
Cornflake Cereal

Clear bowls of cornflakes, sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter.

How to Make

To a medium size pan, add the sugar, peanut butter, and Karo syrup. Place on the stove and turn on medium heat.
Start a timer for 7 minutes. During that 7 minutes, stirring often. Around 5 minutes everything should be melted together, the sugar dissolved, and tiny bubbles will start to pop up.
Once the 7 minutes is up and you can see bubbles in the middle of your pan, remove from the heat and add in the cornflakes.
Stir until well combined and the peanut butter mixture coats over all the cornflakes.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out balls onto wax or parchment paper.
Once you have scooped all the balls, either spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray or wear disposable kitchen gloves, form the balls you just scooped into tighter round balls with your hands. You will have some time to do this while the peanut butter balls are still warm. Pack the balls tightly and then let them cool.
Once they have cooled and set, enjoy!

Melting peanut butter and sugar on the stove.

Mixing Cornflake Peanut Butter Balls dough in a clear bowl.

Balls of cornflake cookies on parchment paper.

The Secret to Making Perfect No Bake Cornflake Balls

When a friend gave me her recipe for the rice krispie balls, it was straightforward. Put the sugar, syrup, and peanut butter in a pan and cook until it bubbles. Then add the Rice Krispies and scoop them into balls.

That was it.

So it took me a couple of times to figure out what "bubbles" exactly meant. And by a couple times, I mean I ruined multiple batches lol. Just like my No Bake Cookies, I discovered there is a precise cooking time. Don't cook long enough and they didn't set up - bubble too long (aka boil) then they turned out rock hard!

Must be a trend with no bake desserts. Exact cooking times.

So for these cornflake peanut butter balls, you need to cook them on the stove for 7 minutes.

a bowl of no bake cornflake cookies on a blue table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Natural Or Crunchy Peanut Butter When Making These?

Regular creamy peanut butter is the only kind of peanut butter to use in this recipe. I have not tried crunchy peanut butter or natural. Natural peanut butter would not work with this recipe as it is too oily and not as "stable" as regular creamy peanut butter.

Can I Use Another Type of Cereal?

Yes! Have fun, be creative, and play around with it - I am sure cereals like Cheerios and Chex would all work! And don't forget about rice krispies!

My No Bake Peanut Butter Cornflake Balls are Really Hard When They Set Up. What Did I Do Wrong?

You have cooked the peanut butter mixture too long. When you turn the stove on medium, start a timer for 7 minutes and stir often. Around the 4-5 minute mark, you will see a couple of bubbles. Remove from the heat immediately after the 7 minutes is up. This does not need to come to a full boil.

How to Store Leftovers

Store these in an air-tight container or bag for 4-5 days. This will help keep them fresh and soft longer.