Internet trends make us laugh and cry. They're part of our 21st-century lives, which are powered by the ups and downs of social media and YouTube videos. But no other Internet trend seems to be as delicious as the brand-new #cookiecereal movement. The premise is simple: making your tasty cookie cereals, using nothing but ingredients that can be found in every household.
The unexpected viral trend started in TikTok, the new social media that's taking over the Internet. Its inventor? Justin Schuble, a man best-known for his home cooking skills, which he shares with over 500K Instagram followers every other day. Trust us: even if you're not into social media, you'll not want to miss on this mouth-watering trend!
How It All Started
The #cookiecereal trend started with two Instagram influencers. The first was Sydney Melhoff, an Internet rising star who began publishing her homemade pancake and cookie recipes on TikTok. Her fans loved the sweet treats, which are as delicious as easy to prepare.
Melhoff's popularity caught the eye of Justin Schuble, one of the most influential food Instagramers in the world. Taking inspiration from her recipes, Schuble decided to try to make his version of homemade cereal cookies. Unexpectedly, Schuble's fans loved the idea and got the #cookiecereal movement started. The opportunity of creating your very own chocolate-cookie morning cereals seemed too good to pass on... Especially considering it is way easier than it looks!
Mouth-Watering Cereals
Looks tasty, doesn't it? Justin Schuble's cookie cereal recipe resembles the famous Cookie Crisp cereals, except it looks even better! There's nothing like making your sweets at home to get that heavenly taste that cannot be bought in the grocery store.
But how do you even start preparing this delicious morning meal? Trust us; even if you're not a cooking wiz, you will get this one right. All you need to have is some sort of cookie dough, like Nestlé's 'Toll House,' and you're ready to go!
Cutting the Dough in Small Pieces
Have you got that cookie dough? All right, you're ready to start! For now, all you have to do is to cut the dough in small pieces, just like how it's shown in the picture. According to Schuble, it's essential to make the pieces as similar in size as possible. It will later ensure that the cookies are baked evenly.
Most types of cookie dough will work for this recipe. Just make sure you're using a sweet mixture with lots of chocolate chips to increase that familiar flavor that we all love. Now, it's time to start rolling!
Turn the Pieces of Dough Into Tiny Balls
Make sure you get a nice tray with enough space to fit all the dough. Now, all you have to do is to take those square pieces of cut dough and turn them into these tiny balls. It's effortless: you can use your hands and get it done in less than 2 minutes.
If your tray of dough looks anything like this, then you know you're on the right track. Keep in mind the dough will expand in the oven, so make sure you get your proportions right. A giant cookie will still taste delicious, but it will not be the same as cookie cereal.
It's Baking Time
Baking the cookies is incredibly easy. Schuble recommends keeping the oven at 350F and leaving the cookies there for 7 minutes. Once you get them out, they will still be a little soft due to the heat. Make sure you let them cool for a few minutes, so they get harder.
For a more aesthetically appealing cookie, try to add an extra chip of chocolate on top of each cookie. It will increase the visual appeal of the meal, and, of course, its irresistible sweetness.
Now Comes the Best Part!
Once you're ready, it's time to try your delicious cookie cereal. Adding milk is a must since it helps the flavor of the cookies to pop. Schuble recommends not adding the milk all at once. It helps the cookies not to get soggy and keep their texture.
Finally, Schuble pointed out that cookie cereal goes wonderfully with an ice cream dessert. It's not the best idea if you're on a diet, but it's something you should try out on your cheat day.
Bon Appetit
In less than 15 to 20 minutes, you can get delicious homemade cookie cereals by the price of virtually nothing. It's no wonder this delightful cooking hack is getting viral on social media! We will have some problems keeping our weight now that we've learned about #cookiecereal.
But before Schuble's viral post, homemade cereal cookie was already a thing. In March, the food blogger Valentina Mussi published a healthier version of Schuble's recipe. Let's check it out!
Mussi Knows Her Sweets
A young rising star on Instagram, with over 250K followers, Valentina Mussi knows all about sweet food. Her social media account, Sweet Portfolio, is filled with pictures that will make you roll your eyes in a sweet craving of pies, ice cream, and homemade cake.
But lately, she's been turning her attention to the #cookiecereal movement, inspiring her followers with some alternative cookie cereal recipes. Her secret? Replacing the chocolate chip cookie dough with snickerdoodle cookies.
A Similar Process
Just like Schuble, Mussi rolled the snickerdoodle into tiny balls, which were then placed on a tray. The advantage of using snickerdoodle is that there's no need to chill the dough later.
Once the tiny balls are ready to go, Mussi placed them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. The paper ensures that the cookies will not glue to the surface during the baking process. But before getting the oven on, Mussi shared a little secret technique to sweeten things up...
Adding Cinnamon Sugar
To increase flavor, Mussi tossed her cookies into cinnamon sugar before baking. Now that the snickerdoodle is divided into even pieces, it's baking time! And if you thought Schuble's cookie cereal recipe was quick, then you'll be even more surprised!
All it takes is 5 minutes in the oven, which Mussi recommends to be set at 375F. Just like Schuble, Mussi also advises that you let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes and that you don't add the milk all at once, hence avoiding sogginess.
Not the First Tiny Food Trend
Before #cookiecereal made its way through social media, there was a less popular food trend going on. It involved mini pancakes, and it looked irresistibly tasty! But why did it fail? Well, as Mussi explained, these lovely pancakes are as tedious to make as they are delicious to eat.
The best thing about #cookiecereal is that it takes only 10-15 minutes of your time and involves nothing but products that you'll most likely already find in your pantry. Taste attracts people, but accessibility is what's alluring about cookie cereal.
The Tiny Food Era?
An expert when it comes to food, Valentina Mussi predicted the rise in popularity of the #cookiecereal trend. She also believes that tiny food, in general, will start getting a lot more attention on social media.
A growing network of food bloggers and Instagrammers has been promoting recipes that involve taking something big... and chopping it into small bits! And as we approach what seems to be a golden age of the mini food, some mouth-watering tiny recipes are being spread around...
Introducing... Mini Waffles!
Instagram food influencers Stay & Steph have joined the tiny food movement with style. They shared this irresistible waffle cereal image with their 235K followers and got almost 30,000 likes.
Sadly, they have not shared the secret recipe with their fans. But according to their social media account, they made each one of the waffles individually. It seems like a lot of work, but we think it's worth it! These mini waffles look like the kind of dessert they serve you in paradise, and we love the additional colorful frosting.
Mini Pop-Tarts To Die For
These crazily tasty-looking mini pop-tarts are a guaranteed answer for any sweet craving. Deciding to make the most of the #cookiecereal trend, the food Instagrammer Anna, from eating.withanna, chose to include this cheat-day recipe on her social media feed.
Used to post mainly healthy meals and fruit-based desserts, Anna has blown us apart with this very mouth-watering mini food recipe. Unfortunately, she's also not shared her secret recipe; but we're guessing it's just like making pop-tarts, except it's all a lot smaller and cuter.
Join the Trend
If there's one thing even more powerful than social media, that's delicious food. But when the two are put together, you have the recipe (pun intended) for a TikTok phenomenon. All over the world, people have been sharing their unique #cookiecereal recipes with their friends and family on social media.
You can make your changes to the cookies, or go with the easy recipe recommended by Schuble. But the best part about #cookiecereal is not the process of making the cookies... It's the part in which you get to try their delicious flavor!