When I was a kid, I loved a version of this recipe that my mom called “dishpan cookies.” I’m not sure if this was Mom’s original recipe, or if she got it from someone else.

It’s very similar to this recipe for oatmeal odds-n-ends cookies, but this one can be flexed to use up any other kind of cereal you have on hand. Since I didn’t have enough of a stockpile for this purpose, I decided to get my local grocery chain’s knockoff version of Lucky Charms in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

The cookie flavor is just about as Irish as the cereal, which is to say, not a whole hell of a lot, but it’s fun for kids. Cereal bits add a little crunch to otherwise simple cookies. Cereal marshmallows tend to melt in the oven in somewhat interesting ways that have nothing to do with their original shapes. This batch spread out really wide and thin — the original recipe didn’t say to chill the dough before baking, which in retrospect would have curbed this effect. I’ve modified the version below accordingly.

I used a 1.5″ cookie scoop to measure the dough and this made 53 giant, thin cookies.

1.5 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
2 c. liquid shortening (2 c. / 4 sticks butter)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
5.5 cups cereal of your choice (or a mix of 1.5 c. instant oatmeal + 4 c. corn flakes)
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream the sugars and shortening/butter. Add the eggs and vanilla.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients. If it’s stiff, add a tablespoon of milk.

Chill the dough for about an hour or so if you don’t want your cookies to expand into super-thin discs in the oven. Roll into balls or use a cookie scoop.

Bake at 325F for about 8-12 minutes based on the size of your cookie balls. They’re done when they start to turn light brown around the edges.