These Honey Nut Cheerio Softies will transport you to your childhood with every bite. The fluffy honey cookies and decadent crumble topping tastes just like a bowl of cereal you grew up eating. Once you make these cookies, you won’t just want them for dessert, you’ll eat them for breakfast too!

Honey Nut Cheerio Softie
Yield: About 2 dozen

3 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Crumble Topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup AP flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup Cheerio cereal pieces

1) Preheat an oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the AP flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3) In another large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and honey together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla, and mix until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4) While the dough is chilling, make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, mix together the light brown sugar, AP flour, salt and Honey Nut Cheerio cereal pieces. Using your hands, work the cold butter and honey into the flour mixture until moist clumps form (it should look like wet sand). Chill the crumble until ready to use.

5) Once the dough has chilled, use a 1 inch ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough onto the baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Gently press the dough balls with the palm of your hand to slightly flatten. Top each with a scoop of the crumble topping, enough to completely cover the cookie. Bake the cookies until the tops are no longer glossy and just the bottoms have browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. It’s better to undercook these cookies, so they remain “softie” cookies. Store in a dry, airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.