These decadent Honey Roasted Cornflake Brownies are a delicious boxed brownie mix recipe topped with an easy chocolate ganache and a crunchy layer of toasted cereal. These triple layer brownies are the perfect bite of crunchy sweet and salty goodness!
Triple Layer Cornflake Brownies
I recently grabbed a chocolate bar filled with toasted cornflakes from the grocery store to fulfill my sweet tooth on my way out and it was so good it inspired this boxed brownie mix recipe!
For these delicious triple layer Honey Roasted Cornflake Brownies, we doubled down on the chocolate with brownies topped with an easy ganache. The bite of chewy brownies, silky ganache and incredibly crunchy corn flakes that have been toasted with honey is absolutely divine.
Ghirardelli brownie box recipe
This box mix brownie recipe requires a few extra steps making ganache and toasted honey cornflakes, so we kept the brownie portion simple with a box mix. I love a good homemade brownie recipe as much as the next person, and you can absolutely start with brownies from scratch if you want to.
The Ghirardelli brownie mix is pretty darn good though, so in this case it was a warranted shortcut in my book.
Ghirardelli brownie mix recipe on box
The beauty of a box brownie mix is that it only requires a few ingredients. This is what the box recipe calls for,
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 egg
For this recipe, we are going for ultra decadent, so I swapped out the oil for melted butter. It adds a little bit more flavor to the brownies and you get the same rich fudgy brownie texture.
Bake the brownies according to the package directions and allow them to cool to room temperature.
Chocolate brownies with ganache
The next layer of these rich brownies is an easy chocolate ganache. People tend to think that ganache is some complicated ingredient, because it sounds fancy, but it is really just melted chocolate and cream and so easy to make.
By adding a layer of ganache to the brownies, it helps bind the toasted cornflakes to the brownies so everything sticks together nicely. It is also just one of the most delicious food there ever was, so that doesn’t hurt either!
How to make easy chocolate ganache for brownies
To make a quick and easy ganache, add one bag of chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. You don’t need fancy chocolate, but I also wouldn’t go with off brand chocolate for this either. Sometimes they are waxier and don’t melt as smoothly.
You can use milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips for this brownie recipe. Whatever you have on hand will work wonderfully.
Add 1/3 cup heavy cream to the chocolate chips and microwave for 1 minute. Using a fork or whisk, whisk the chocolate until it is silky smooth and shiny. If there are still some lumps after a firm whisk, microwave an additional 30 seconds.
If you chocolate is grainy and not shiny, it means you haven’t whisked it long enough or that you don’t have enough cream in the mix. Continue whisking and if that doesn’t do the trick, add a little splash of additional cream.
Cornflake Dessert
You’ve probably enjoyed a good bowl of cornflakes like the next guy, but it isn’t as likely that you have made a cornflake dessert before. These Honey Roasted Cornflake Brownies are the perfect opportunity to see just how versatile corn flakes are.
The beauty of cornflakes is that they have a rather mild taste and nice crunchy texture. This allows you to transform them into savory dishes or sweet desserts. Heck, sometimes we even use them just to help manage the moisture of fruit in a dessert, like in this epic Glazed Apple Pie Bar recipe from my grandma.
How to make honey cornflakes
For this brownie recipe, we are going to roast the cornflakes with some honey and a sprinkle of flakey salt to add a sweet honey flavor to the crunchy top.
Add 3 cups of cornflakes to a baking sheet and drizzle with 1/4 cup honey. Toss the cornflakes until they are well coated and bake at 350F for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt and toss again. Bake an additional 5 minutes.
Triple Layer Brownies
Be sure to spread 2/3 of your ganache over the brownies before pulling the cornflakes out of the oven for the third layer. Once the cornflakes are done baking, you need to act quickly, as they will start to harden.
Carefully remove the pan of toasted honey cornflakes from the oven and spoon over the ganache brownies. Spray the back of a spoon or spatula with nonstick spray, and quickly spread them out over the brownies.
Add 3 Tablespoons cream to the remaining 1/3 of the ganache and stir in to thin the chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate over cornflakes.
Allow the honey cornflake brownies to completely cool before you dig in. By toasting the cornflakes with honey, it will keep them nice and crunchy and the cereal won’t get soggy like it would if you just added it plain.
Layered Brownie Desserts
You know how to tell when brownies are done when the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few pieces of crumbs. Once they are cooled and crunchy, you can serve up a slice of these decadent fudgy brownies with ganache and cornflakes.
Box mix brownies are a quick and delicious dessert all on their own, but when you start layering them up into an impressive dessert, things can go from good to outstanding. If you love a good layered brownie recipe, be sure to check out these Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownie Cups for another sweet and salty dessert.
Honey Roasted Cornflake Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 brownie box mix + butter & egg to prepare
Ganache
- 1 bag chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup cream + 3 Tablespoons cream divided
Honey Cornflakes
- 3 cups cornflakes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
Instructions
Brownies
- Prepare the brownies according to package directions in a 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Use melted butter as a substitute for oil.
Ganache
- Add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl with the cream. Microwave for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth and shiny. If there are still lumps, microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
- Spread 2/3 of the ganache over the cooled brownies.
- Add 3 Tablespoons cream to the remaining 1/3 of the ganache and whisk until well incorporated.
Honey Roasted Cornflakes
- Add the cornflakes to a baking sheet and drizzle with honey. Stir until the cornflakes are well coated.
- Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and sprinkle with flakey sea salt and toss until well coated. Bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Working quickly, carefully spoon the cornflakes over the layer of ganache as soon as you pull them from the oven. Spread them evenly over the ganache so it is covered evenly. Press down lightly into the chocolate.
- Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the cornflakes. Allow the layered brownies to cool to room temperature before serving.
Julie says
I love the sweet & salty & crunchy & gooey, just everything these brownies have going is perfection!