Chewy Captain Crunch Cookies made with brown butter, toasted milk powder and Cap'n Crunch cereal! The cookies are then baked with a pool of melted white chocolate, creating an irresistible crackled top.
It's no secret how much I love using dry milk powder in my baked goods. When used in yeast bread or sweet brioche dough, it makes bread softer and improves structure, as featured in these Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls, Almond Croissant Rolls, and Nutella Cinnamon Rolls. When toasted in butter, it's a brown butter powerhouse, amplifying the nutty, caramel-like flavors.
Cue in these captain crunch cookies! Cap'n Crunch cereal tastes quite plain on its own, so when developing this recipe, I knew I needed to boost the flavors. My first thought was to make brown butter because brown butter makes everything better. But sometimes brown butter alone, isn't enough. So, I got the idea to toast some dry milk powder in butter and I couldn't be more happy with the results. The cookies are nutty, milky, buttery and absolutely addicting!
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♡ Why You Will Love These Captain Crunch Cookies
- Beautiful crackled tops. Baking melted white chocolate over the top of the cookie dough, creates a unique abstract design that makes each cookie uniquely beautiful.
- Texture. These Cap'n crunch cookies are wonderfully crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the center.
- Flavor. We'll be browning the butter and amplifying the flavor even more by toasting dry milk powder with the butter.
- No chilling required. These cookies can be baked right away without needing to be chilled. Yay!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used in this cookie recipe. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
- Unsalted Butter - We'll be browning some unsalted butter to add nutty flavor.
- Dry Milk Powder - To add more flavor, dry milk powdered will be toasted in the brown butter. You can find it at most grocery stores or online. I'm using nonfat dry milk powder.
- Brown Sugar - Adds flavor, moisture and contributes to the chewy texture.
- White Sugar - Adding a bit of white sugar creates those crispy edges.
- Egg - Emulsifies the batter and adds structure.
- Vanilla Extract - For flavor.
- Flour - We're keeping it simple with all-purpose flour.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder - The perfect amount of these leveners will help the cookies brown, spread and puff up to create that crackly texture.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness.
- Cap'n Crunch Cereal - Cap'n crunch cereal are sweetened corn cereal. We'll be finely grinding it down into a fine powder and adding it to the cookie dough.
- White Chocolate - We'll be topping the cookie dough with a bit of melted white chocolate allowing it to bake into the cracks . Alternatively, you can add ½ cup of white chocolate chips or chunks into the cookie batter if you'd prefer.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these Captain Crunch Cookies! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Brown the Butter + Toast the Milk Powder - Over medium/low heat, melt butter completely in a medium saucepan. Then sprinkle in dry milk powder.
Step 2. Using a spatula and stirring frequently, toast the butter and dry milk powder until golden brown. It will take about 6 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to burn it.
Step 3. Cool - Once you reach the desired color, quickly pour the brown butter/toasted milk powder mixture into a small glass bowl. Make sure to scrape in all the milk powder bits. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool down slightly.
Step 4. Combine Dry Ingredients - In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, finely ground Cap'n Crunch cereal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
💡 Tip
Use a food processor or grinder to pulverize the Cap'n Crunch Cereal. We want it as fine as possible because the larger pieces of cereal turns into a weird chewy texture.
Step 5. Combine Wet Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled brown butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract. Then add an egg.
Step 6. With an electric mixer, whisk on medium high speed for 2 minutes (set a timer). The mixture should be thick and pale in color.
Step 7. Mix in Dry Ingredients - Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Discard any larger pieces of cereal.
Step 8. Gently fold in the flour mixture just until combined. Set aside on the counter.
Step 9. Melt White Chocolate - Transfer finely chop white chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water.
Step 11. Scoop - Using a medium cookie scoop (which holds 2 tablespoons), scoop out 6 dough balls and place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll into smooth balls and flatten the tops slightly. Then spoon 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate over each dough ball.
Step 11. Bake - Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (176ºC) for 8 minutes. Allow to sit on the baking tray for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
💡 Tip
For perfectly round cookies, try this hack. Right when you pull the cookies out of the oven, place a large round biscuit cutter, ramekin or bowl over the cookie (it should be a bit bigger than the cookie itself) and make several circular motions. As the edge of the cookie touches the inside of the biscuit cutter, it will round out any irregular edges.
Substitutions
- Dry Milk Powder - I haven't tested these cookies without milk powder, but you could probably omit it if you don't have any on hand.
- Brown Sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Cap 'n' Crunch Cereal - You could substitute with your favorite cereal. If you'd like a variation, try my Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies!
Key Equipment
- Pot - For browning the butter.
- Bowls
- Electric Mixer - You can use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer.
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop (#30 scoop, which holds 2 tablespoons of cookie dough)
Storage
- Baked Cookies at Room Temperature - Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Baked Cookies in the Freezer - You can store baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before eating. It takes about 40 minutes to thaw.
✨ Expert Tips
Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams, rather than volume, is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur's Weight Chart.
If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
Do not overbake. I found that baking them for a total of 8 minutes yielded the best texture. It had the perfect about of crispy and chewy bite. You can go a tad longer if you'd like them to be crispier.
FAQ
Milk powder (aka powdered milk) is made by evaporating all the moisture from milk, leaving you with a fine dry powder. In baking, it's used as flavor enhancer and improves texture in bread, donuts, cookies, cakes and more.
The culprit is usually adding too much flour. I've tested this recipe 3 times and they come out perfectly every time. Always measure with a kitchen scale and use the gram measurements that I've included in the recipe card.
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📖 Recipe
Captain Crunch Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- ½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter browned
- 3 Tbsp (21g) Dry Milk Powder (I used nonfat)
- 1 Cup + 2 tablespoon (135g) All-Purpose Flour measured properly
- 1 Cup (38g) Plain Cap'n Crunch Cereal finely ground
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Fine Salt
- ½ Cup (100g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar packed
- ¼ Cup (50g) White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Whole Large Egg room temp
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Oz (85g) White Chocolate Bar melted
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
- Brown the Butter + Toast the Milk Powder - Over medium/low heat, melt cubed butter completely in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Once melted, sprinkle in the dry milk powder. Using a spatula and stirring frequently, toast the butter and dry milk powder until golden brown. The milk powder will have a tendency of sticking to the bottom of that pan, but use your spatula to scrape it and keep stirring. It will become quite foamy as it browns, which is totally normal. You can always take it off the heat if needed to allow the foam to subside a bit. The whole process should take about 6 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to burn it.½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter3 tablespoon (21g) Dry Milk Powder (I used nonfat)
- Cool - Once you reach the desired color, quickly pour brown butter/toasted milk powder mixture into a small glass bowl. Make sure to scrape in all the milk powder bits. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool down slightly.
- Preheat Oven + Prep Pan - Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF (180ºC). Then line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients - Grind cap'n crunch cereal into a fine powder by using a food processor or grinder. In a medium bowl, combine the pulverized cap'n crunch cereal, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.1 Cup (38g) Plain Cap'n Crunch Cereal1 Cup + 2 tablespoon (135g) All-Purpose Flour½ teaspoon Baking Soda½ teaspoon Baking Powder½ teaspoon Fine Salt
- Combine Wet Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter (ok if it's still a little warm), brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract until well combined. Then add the egg and using an electric mixer, whisk on medium high speed for 2 minutes (set a timer). The mixture will be thick and pale in color.½ Cup (100g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar¼ Cup (50g) White Granulated Sugar1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract1 Whole Large Egg
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients - Sift flour mixture into the wet ingredients, discarding any larger pieces of cereal, and gently mix until combined. Set aside on the counter.
- Melt White Chocolate - Transfer finely chop white chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water.3 Oz (85g) White Chocolate Bar
- Scoop - Using a medium cookie scoop (which holds 2 tablespoons), scoop out 6 dough balls and place them 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) apart on your prepared baking sheet. Roll into smooth balls and flatten the tops slightly to create a ledge. Cover the remaining cookie dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- Top with Melted Chocolate - Spoon 1 teaspoon of melted white chocolate over the tops. It's okay if the chocolate drips down the sides.
- Bake - Bake in a preheated oven for just 8 minutes. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool. Garnish with flaky sea salt if you'd like. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature and enjoy! Bake the rest of the cookie dough.
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