Cookies and Cereal Treats? Yes, please. These whimsical treats are bursting with colourful marshmallow Lucky Charms and irresistible flavour, perfect for those seeking a delicious twist on a childhood classic. Indulge guilt-free in every bite of these delightful cookies, made with love and free from dairy ingredients. Easy Gluten Free option as well.
Why I Made This Recipe
It’s almost St Patrick’s Day so I wanted to combine two of our youngest sons’ favourite things – cookies and lucky charms. He adores Lucky Charms cereal and loves picking out the marshmallows to eat them separately. Apparently, they get too soggy once you add milk! So I decided to sneak some from the box and add them to our favourite drop cookie recipe. They are a bright and cheery match made in heaven!
Why You Need This Recipe
This is a fail-safe drop cookie recipe that is allergy-friendly and tastes as bright as it looks. These dairy-free Lucky Charms drop cookies are soft and chewy, colourful and have just the right amount of sweetness. Free from dairy, eggs, nuts and soy, this recipe uses everyday pantry ingredients and it’ll take you less than 30 minutes to make them, from prep to plate. Perfect for a colourful after-school treat.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The cookie base is a vegan recipe with an easy gluten free option. The lucky charms marshmallows contain gelatin therefore this is not a true vegan recipe. See the recipe card for weight and cup measurements and my FAQ for more tips about this recipe.
Dry Ingredients
Brown Sugar: I honestly feel that brown sugar is the true star of my drop cookie recipe. It adds to the caramel undertone of the cookies, relaxes the dough and makes such a difference to the overall bake. Swap with white sugar if you don’t have any (150g white sugar in total).
White Sugar: we’re making cookies so sugar is a MUST.
Flour: all purpose flour is used to create the soft chewy centre and the slightly crunchy exterior of the cookies. Sub with your preferred gluten free flour – I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Baking Soda: this helps the cookies spread a little so that they develop slightly crispy edges.
Salt: to balance and enhance the flavours.
Marshmallows: the hardest part of this recipe is sorting out the marshmallows from the cereal box. I usually get my kids involved for this stage on the promise that they get a freshly baked cookie at the end. If you are vegan, sub with homemade vegan marshmallows or colour store-bought mini marshmallows with natural food colouring.
Wet Ingredients
Butter: I am using unsalted plant based butter at room temperature. If you only have salted butter on hand, omit the salt in the recipe. Sub with dairy butter if you are not vegan/dairy free.
Apple Sauce: my go-to egg replacement that adds moisture and binds together the cookie ingredients. Use a flax egg if you prefer or 1 large egg if you are not egg intolerant/vegan.
Flavouring: I always add a splash of vanilla bean paste to help elevate the flavours of the cookies. Sub with vanilla extract if you prefer.
How to Make Lucky Charms Drop Cookies
Preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C and gather all of your ingredients and supplies. The butter should be at room temperature before making this recipe. The key with drop cookies is to NOT overmix the ingredients as this will cause the cookies to spread more than necessary.
Making the Dough
Add the white and brown sugars to a mixing bowl with the softened butter and cream together. Add in the apple sauce and vanilla bean paste and stir to combine.
Next add the all-purpose flour, baking soda and a little bit of salt and stir until ‘almost’ combined.
TOP TIP: whenever I’m adding mixings to cookie dough, I recommend not fully incorporating the flour as the dough will be mixed again when we add the marshmallows. Essentially you want to stop mixing when you can still see little bits of flour running throughout the mixture, as below.
Finally, take half of the lucky charms marshmallows and add them to the mixing bowl.
Stir them into the cookie dough until just combined. It’s totally fine if some of them break up. It’s almost like adding magical dust to the cookie dough!
Let’s Bake
Line your cookie trays with parchment paper then add scoops of cookie dough. I always use a cookie scoop to measure my dough so that my cookies will be roughly the same size and weight. I also love using air-bake cookie trays as they bake more evenly due to the increased airflow around the cookies.
Don’t add too many cookies on the tray or press them down because they will spread a little bit as they bake.
Here’s a close look at one of the balls of cookie dough. I love how the marshmallows peek out giving pops of colour.
This recipe will make 12 cookies and I highly recommend baking 6 on each tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F/190° for 10-12 minutes.
Baked to Perfection
As they are baking, the cookies will spread and collapse a little bit, creating a thinner outer edge that will crisp up as the cookies cool down. Immediately add the remaining marshmallows to the baked cookies as soon as they come out of the oven and press them in gently. I added 4-5 marshmallows per cookie.
Leave the cookies cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes before finally moving them to a cooling rack. Or eat them right away if you can’t resist! They’re so good when they’re still warm.
Common Questions
This dairy free lucky charms drop cookies recipe makes 12 3-inch cookies, using a large ice cream scoop to measure the dough.
Unfortunately not. Lucky Charms marshmallows contain gelatin which means that they are not suitable for those who follow a vegan diet or lifestyle. A great vegan option would be to either make your own marshmallows or dye some store-bought ones with natural food colouring.
These cookies will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. No need to refrigerate them. Alternatively, you can freeze them in a sealed container. We like to do that so we can grab them as needed. Allow defrosting at room temperature before eating.
I recommend substituting the flour with a 1-to-1 baking flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill.
Final Close Up
Look how colourful they are. I love that the marshmallows don’t lose their colour as they bake. So fun and just perfect for St Patrick’s Day!
More Cookie Favourites
If you love cookies, why not try these recipes:
- No chill, no spread sugar cookie (Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free, GF option)
- Funfetti cookies (Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free)
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies (Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free)
- Candy Cane Shortbread Wedges (Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free)
- Caramel Millionaire Shortbread (Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free)
- Small Batch Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)
- Copycat Disney Chocolate Chip Cookies (Dairy Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)
One last look at our dairy free Lucky Charms drop cookies. I’m sure you’re going to love them. Make sure to leave a comment if you try them!
Dairy Free Lucky Charms Drop Cookies
Ingredients
- 100 grams Brown Sugar (1/2 US Cup)
- 50 grams White Sugar (1/4 US Cup)
- 145 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) (10 tbsp or 1 stick plus 1/3)
- 50 grams Apple Sauce (1/4 US Cup)
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (7.5 ml)
- 175 grams All Purpose Flour (1 1/2 US Cups)
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 30 grams Lucky Charms Marshmallows (1 US Cup)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C and gather all of your ingredients and supplies. The butter should be at room temperature before making this recipe.
- Add the white and brown sugars to a mixing bowl with the softened butter and cream together. Add in the apple sauce and vanilla bean paste and stir to combine.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda and a little bit of salt and stir until 'almost' combined. Top Tip: whenever I'm adding mixings to cookie dough, I recommend not fully incorporating the flour as the dough. Stop mixing when you can still see little bits of flour running throughout the mixture.
- Stir in half of the marshmallows until just combined. Don't worry if some of them break up at this stage.
- Line your cookie trays with parchment paper then add scoops of cookie dough. Make sure you space out the cookies evenly. I usually add no more than 6 per cookie tray. Bake one tray at a time in a preheated oven at 375°F/190° for 10-12 minutes.
- Once removed from the oven, immediately add the remaining marshmallows to the cookies. Press them in gently. Leave the cookies cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- This no-chill recipe makes 12 cookies, approximately 3 inches in size.
- To preserve freshness, store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- For an easy gluten-free option, sub the all-purpose flour with your preferred gluten-free flour. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.
- Why am I using two types of sugar? The addition of brown sugar helps the cookies ‘relax’ as they are baking, encourages the crispiness on the edges and adds a great caramel undertone. It’s completely optional but I do highly recommend it if you’ve never used both in your drop cookies.
- Can I make this vegan? Unfortunately, the Lucky Charms marshmallows contain gelatin which is not vegan. Sub with naturally coloured mini vegan marshmallows if you prefer.
- Nutrition information is based on 1 cookie per serving with 12 servings per recipe. Please note that nutrition information is calculated based on the ingredients in this recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
These are fabulous. My youngest daughter loved making them with me and they tasted great.
Glad you both enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for commenting!
We plan on making these next weekend for St. Patrick’s Day. I love that they are dairy free.
I hope you will enjoy them. They are perfect for St Patrick’s Day! Happy Baking.
I made these with my niece last weekend and we both loved the cookies and now this is a staple for us.
That’s wonderful. Thanks for sharing your review.
My kids loved making these and eating them too!! They were so easy to make and tasted amazing!
Thanks for your review. I’m glad that you enjoyed them.
The cookies were a hit! The recipe was easy to follow and the end result was delicious. Making this again!
So happy that you liked them.
Loving how colorful and fun these cookies are. I’m excited to make them with my nieces. Thanks for the recipe.
Happy to hear that. They’re definitely fun to make and eat!