This blog post should also be called, ‘Confessions of a Thrifty Cheapskate.’ In case you’ve ever wondered how much of a penny-pincher I am, here’s proof. I’m exposing my cheap ways in this post today. Will you still be my friend?
You know how at the bottom of every Frosted Mini Wheat box, there is a gaggle of crumbs that were once Frosted Minis? Well, I recently found myself with about a cup of the stuff and wondered if anyone had come up with a recipe. So not that I know (cough cough), but if you Google “What to do with leftover shredded wheat?” you’ll find a couple recipes for cookies. I know because I found a recipe here and decided to try it. My hunch is you could use most any crunchy cookie recipe and substitute the finely ground mixture for flour and then decrease a little of the sugar. (I’ve similarly substituted with oatmeal when I’ve run out of flour before–and it worked just fine.) ANYWAY…
Light and Crispy Shredded Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (2ish dozen cookies)
Recipe Source
1 cup finely processed frosted shredded wheat crumbs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or any chocolate pieces (I chopped up some of my boys’ halloween loot for this.)
8 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used the frosted kind so I really felt like the original recipe of 1/2 was too much.)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (though I always add a little bit extra because I’m a vanilla junkie.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 375F. Put the cereal crumbs in a blender or food process until they are finely crushed. Then cream butter, sugars, eggs and vinilla. Next add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Combine well. Add chocolate pieces. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely; store in an airtight container. These are better once they’ve been cooled. Enjoy! Then have a guessing game with your friends as to your ‘secret ingredient.’
My thoughts:
1. I think next time I do this recipe, I will toast the cereal first–I think it would make the cookie fantabulous, though the original recipe didn’t call for it and were good without doing so.
2. I’d crush the cereal a little longer and finer in the food processer–I was impatient and didn’t crush them long enough.
3. The frosted mini wheats made the cookie nice and airy and I’ll definitely use them again in a recipe.
4. And last, what on earth did I do before my BFF Google? (Yep, after two years, Google and I are still BFF’s.)
Kid approved..Notice the crumb.
Do you ‘upcycle’ the kids’ Halloween candy to make cookies? 
