While I cook every day, I really only have the chance to bake (which I consider play time) 2-3 days per week. When my daughter started Kindergarten, I made the commitment to make bread at least weekly, if not more often, to cut down on processed foods in her school lunch. While she doesn’t need a packed lunch right now, I still bake bread for the family each week. Lately, my weekly bakes have also included breakfast cookies.
I intentionally bake my breakfast cookies in small batches–only 6 cookies at a time–to make sure my husband and I always have “fresh” cookies. So that means I am making breakfast cookies at least twice per week. Each time my daughter will come into the kitchen and ask me what I am making. I tell her breakfast cookies (which she refuses to try since she THINKS she doesn’t like oats), and the response is always, “Awww. When will you make cookies for me?”
Well, today was bake day. I made a large sourdough boule and decided to make breakfast cookies while it was baking. Knowing that my daughter would ask the same question as always, I also decided I’d make her some cookies too. I considered making everyone’s favorite–chocolate chip–but then decided to introduce her to something new.
Maybe the upcoming holiday has me feeling nostalgic, but I decided to make a recipe from the 1980s, which I probably haven’t made since 1991 or 1992: Tiger Cookies. If you have zero idea what a Tiger Cookie is, they are a chocolate marbled cookie made with a surprising ingredient–Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. They’re gr-r-reat!
I’d have to ask my mom for sure, but I think the recipe that has been in our family for more than three decades came from a box of Frosted Flakes. We often had Frosted Flakes in the house when I was a kid, so I can’t imagine the recipe coming from anywhere else. I don’t think it was shared by a friend.
I remember my mom making Tiger Cookies when I was a kid. I remember making Tiger Cookies when I was a tween. Then we kind of forgot about the recipe. I’d say the rest of the world did too. When you Google “Tiger Cookies” what you mostly get are recipes for chocolate crinkle cookies. I found only two links to recipes that were the original 1980s Kellogg’s recipe.
Today I had my first Tiger Cookie in almost 30 years. They were just as light and tasty as I remembered them. My husband had his first Tiger Cookie ever and immediately wanted a second. And the real critic, my 9-year-old? Well, she asked if I would make them regularly! (Although I didn’t tell her they had cereal in them, otherwise she wouldn’t have tried them.)
So, in the spirit of throwing it back to my childhood and the 80s, I’m posting the recipe here in what I think is it’s original form. (I had a handwritten recipe copied from my mom’s handwritten recipe.) I can’t take any credit for the recipe, but they are a fun bit of nostalgia.
Tiger Cookies
Course: CookiesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy36
servings15
minutes36
minutes126
kcalTiger Cookies are a light and delicious chocolate marbled cookie. The recipe was originally printed on the boxes of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes in the 1980s. The recipe has stayed in our family for over three decades, and is just as popular with the next generation.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® cereal, crushed to 1 1/2 cups
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Directions
- Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixture, mixing until well combined.
- Stir in crushed cereal and mix until just combined.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over dough. With knife swirl melted chocolate gently through dough to achieve marbled
appearance. Drop by rounded measuring-tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. - Bake at 350° F about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove immediately from baking sheets. Cool on wire racks.
Notes
- The recipe calls for semi-sweet chips, however, I use milk chocolate chips.
- Chocolate can be melted in a double boiler. However, I CAREFULLY microwave mine. I place chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove bowl from microwave and stir. Microwave again for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. If absolutely necessary, you can do one last 20 second zap. However, do so with caution and do not over microwave, or chocolate will seize.
- Recipe originally published by Kellogg’s.
