Easiest Christmas Cookie EVER!

byBeth Le Manach
21 Comments
byBeth Le Manach
21 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links.
Jump to Recipe

These Christmas Cookies are hands-down the easiest Christmas Cookies Ever! They are called Marigoons and were made by my Italian grandmother in the 1950s.

You’ll love them because they whip up in no time, with just 8 ingredients (many of which may be sitting in your pantry already!) Great for holiday cookie platters or gifting! 

Cookie being pulled apart to show the texture of cocunut, chocolate chip and cornflakes

They have this fantastic combination of chewiness and crunch, coming from the cornflakes, decadence coming from the dark chocolate chips, and buttery goodness coming from the pecans. It’s hard to imagine a cookie tasting so delicious with so few ingredients!  

For more Christmas Cookie ideas for gifting try my Chocolate and Vanilla Cut Sugar Cookie Recipe or my Pecan Bars with Shortbread Crust or my Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. 

Watch My Video Demo of this cookie recipe below!

Subscribe to My YouTube Channel and Never Miss a Recipe!

STEP 1: Whip Your Egg Whites

You’ll start by adding 3 egg whites to an electric mixer. These cookies do not have any flour in them, it’s the egg whites that give them their structure. So if you were looking for a Gluten-Free Christmas Cookie recipe, this one could be a great one, just be sure to buy Gluten-Free cornflakes, since not all cornflakes are Gluten-Free. 

Bowl of egg whites being poured into the bowl of an electric mixer

Then add some salt and vanilla extract to your egg whites and whip until foamy. 

Adding vanilla to a bowl of an electric mixer

At this stage you’ll slowly add your confectioner’s sugar, a little bit at a time until your whites are stiff and satiny.

Adding spoonfuls of confectioner's sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer

Tip: Once your whites can hold a stiff peak you know they have reached the right stage.

Egg Whites stiff and satiny on a wire whisk

STEP 2: Fold in Your “Mix-Ins”

At this point, you’ll fold in the dark chocolate chips, sweetened coconut, chopped pecans, and cornflakes.

Substitution Idea: Concerned about nut allergies?

  • You could swap the nuts for dried cherries.
  • That would give you another great texture and the combination of the tart cherries against the dark chocolate would be fantastic!

Bowls of chocolate chips, sweetened coconut, nuts and cornflakes going into a bowl of an electric mixer

Tip: The dark chocolate chips add a nice counterbalance to the sweetness of the coconuts and egg whites. I love the Nestle Dark chocolate morsels, I think they provide the best chocolate flavor. I also use them in my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are fantastic! 

  • If you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  • But consider reducing the confectioner’s sugar to 1/2 cup (instead of 3/4 cup as the recipe calls for) otherwise the cookies could be too sweet.

Bowl of stiff egg whites being mixed with chocolate chips, cornflakes, nuts and coconut

Then mix in all those ingredients until well-coated with the egg whites.

STEP 3: Spoon Out

Spoon out your cookie batter with a 2″ ice cream scoop, onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Tip: Egg whites, when baked are very sticky and they don’t like grease. It’s better for this recipe to use parchment paper instead of greasing your baking tray.

Cookie dough spooned out oto parchment lined cookie sheet

STEP 4: Bake and Cool

Bake your cookies at 350F (200C) for 18 minutes until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack until set.

Tip: These cookies are pretty fantastic when served warm since the chocolate chips become gooey which makes for a sensational treat. But they are more fragile when warm. Allow them to cool completely if packaging them up for gifting.

Baked cookies cooling on a cookie rack

Then you can place them on your holiday cookie platter. I think these cookies go really well with a few Gingerbread Men, some Holiday Shortbread Cookies, and some Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Cookies. That way you’ll have all the Christmas flavors well represented!

Christmas Cookies piled on a 2-tier cookie platter

STEP 5: Package Up for Gifting! 

You can pack your cookies up in a food-safe plastic bag, and fasten them with a rubber band. Add some faux evergreen and tie with a festive ribbon! (these links go to Amazon where I am compensated on products sold with no additional cost to the consumer)

Process steps for packaging up Christmas Cookies

More Holiday Recipes!

 

Cookie being pulled apart to show the texture of cocunut, chocolate chip and cornflakes

Easiest Christmas Cookie Recipe EVER!

Yield: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 48 minutes

Easiest Christmas Cookie Recipe Ever!  These come together so quickly and easily and you probably cannot eat only one! Great for cookie platters or holiday gifting!

Ingredients

  • 3 egg whites
  • ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
  • ½ tsp (2.5ml) vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (75g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 cups (475ml) cornflakes
  • 8 oz (230g) package of dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (240ml) sweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ cup (75g) chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Combine the egg whites, salt and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the sugar gradually until stiff and satiny.
  3. Fold in the chocolate chips, cornflakes, sweetened coconut and nuts. Scoop out batter with a 2-inch cookie scoop onto cookie sheet.
  4. Bake 18-20 minutes until set and golden brown. Allow to cool slightly. These are really good served warmed! Or allow to cool completely and package up for gifting!

Notes

  • Egg whites should be stiff and satiny before folding in the chocolate chips and other mix-ins.
  • You'll know the whites are ready because they will hold a stiff peak on the tip of your whisk
  • You can swap the dark chocolate chips for semi-sweet or milk chocolate. But you may then want to reduce the confectioner's sugar to 1/2 cup so the cookies are not too sweet.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 96Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g
© Beth Le Manach
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookie and Bars
  •  
Brownie cake scooped into a mug with ice cream

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

21 Comments

  1. Just made this recipe and it was yummy. However i feel like some of the metric measurements are off.. 2 cups of cornflakes def doesn’t weigh 400ml+ as cornflakes are pretty light.

    I first realised something was off when I weighed out 400+ worth of cornflakes and it was ALOT. Looked way more than what you used in the video.

    I took out measuring cups and weighed out 2 cups to check and it only came out to about 70g (with resembled more like the amount you poured into the egg white batter). As I had already put in the nuts and choc at that stage.. my cookie ended up with too much mix-ins for my egg white and sugar mixture to hold.

    So just a tip for those attempting the recipe.. use the cup measurements 😀 My husband and I loved the flavour though, so will be attempting it again and this time using cup measurements instead.

    Reply

  2. These were fabulous! I used pecans. I made them for Christmas and everyone raved over them! Delicious! My youngest who doesn’t like dark chocolate loved them!
    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  3. These cookies are soo delicious! Thank you! I have a friend who is wondering if there is any substitute for the confectionary sugar?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  6. I have made these several times now and they are delicious and so easy to make. The only thing I would add is to use good quality cornflakes as it has affected the end product. I love them!

    Reply

  8. This recipe looks so tasty. The ingredients list shows “sweetened coconut flakes” but step 3 of the the instructions says “unsweetened”. Which shall we use? Thanks for this quick recipe.

    Reply

    1. So sorry! That should be sweetened coconut. I just fixed it! Thanks for the heads up 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  9. Pingback: Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Cookies - Entertaining with Beth
  10. Pingback: Beth's Best Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe- Entertaining with Beth

  11. Hi Beth! Made these today and they are delicious! Just wondering if they are supposed to be a bit sticky even after they’re golden brown?

    Reply

    1. Hmm, not really sticky on the outside, just on this inside 🙂 They dry and harden on the outside as they cool. Did that happen or were they still sticky? If so they may have needed 2-3 mins more in the oven. But so glad they tasted great!!

      Reply

  12. Hi beth. These look really lovely! I am planning to bake this for my xmas party. How many days in advance can I bake these so that they are still fresh for Xmas? Thank you so much! :)

    Reply

    1. Oh sure I would bake them not too far ahead, the day before at the earliest 🙂 But they are so easy you could even bake them the day of and it wouldn’t set you back too much time wise. Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!

      Reply