People are making tiny chocolate chip cookies into cereal, and it's the hottest new food trend on TikTok

Pancake cereal has been the hottest food trend on TikTok for barely a week, and yet there's already a new one on the horizon.

Cookie cereal is here, and it's ready to take over your social media.

It's easy to see the appeal of cookie cereal. The bowls of tiny cookies, swimming in pools of milk, are reminiscent of the kid-friendly cereal Cookie Crisp.

In fact, Cookie Crisp suddenly began trending on Twitter in May after Justin Schuble posted his cookie cereal video on TikTok and Instagram 

Schuble, who is behind the popular Instagram account @dcfoodporn, was inspired to make cookie cereal by Sydney Melhoff — who also launched the pancake cereal trend. 

Better yet, Schuble realized that many of his followers would already have the ingredients to make their own cookie cereal. 

"Most of my recipes are simple, easy to replicate, and use ingredients that you probably have in your pantry because I want to provide my audience with ideas for what they can make at home," he said. "Most people either have cookie dough in their fridge or have the ingredients necessary to make it." 

When he first tried to make cookie cereal, Schuble took one pack of Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough and cut it both lengthwise and crosswise

He then rolled each small square of dough into a ball and baked them all on a cookie sheet. 

Schuble said he learned a lot from his first attempt and picked up some tricks when he made cookie cereal the 2nd time

"First, I would recommend making sure all of the cookie-dough pieces are the same size so that they cook evenly," he said.

After cutting your cookie dough into even pieces, Schuble recommends rounding the edges instead of rolling each piece into a ball.

"Flatten them slightly," he said. "I added an extra chocolate chip on top for the ideal presentation." 

Then pop the dough in the oven and bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for seven minutes so they come out "still slightly soft."

"Then let them sit on the counter for a few minutes to harden up," Schuble added.

Once it's time to enjoy your bowl of cookie cereal, make sure to be careful with the milk

"The cookies can get soggy," Schuble said. "I'd recommend adding some cookies and milk and trying it before adding more. Or another option is to eat them with ice cream as a dessert!"

Food blogger Valentina Mussi tried to turn cookies into cereal back in March, using prepackaged miniature chocolate chip cookies to test the concept

But when Mussi saw Schuble's video, she decided to give the idea a new spin and make her own cookie cereal from scratch. 

Mussi, who runs the Instagram page @sweetportfolio, told Insider she opted to make miniature snickerdoodle cookies because the dough didn't have to be chilled. 

Mussi rolled the dough into tiny balls and tossed them in cinnamon sugar before placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

She baked the cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes and, like Schuble, let the cookies cool down for a few minutes so they could "harden a bit." 

Mussi likewise advises against adding too much milk, warning that the cookies get soggier than regular cereal. 

Both Schuble and Mussi have tried plenty of TikTok food trends, and Mussi said she far preferred cookie cereal to miniature pancakes

"They're much easier to make!" she said. "The mini pancakes involve such a tedious process."

Schuble said he thought pancake cereal was a great choice for those looking for something a little different for breakfast.

"It's a lot lighter, especially if you make my healthy version," he said. "But the cookie cereal makes a great dessert or sweet treat! Or you can leave the mini cookies without milk and enjoy them throughout the day."

Schuble also loves that cookie cereal puts a fresh and easy spin on Cookie Crisps, without requiring a lot of ingredients.

"I see this homemade cookie cereal as a new and improved version that you can make without going shopping," he said. "It's definitely more time-consuming than opening a box of cereal, but a lot of us have some extra time on our hands these days. And nothing beats warm cookies and milk, in my opinion."

Schuble said he wouldn't be surprised if cookie cereal was the 'next big food trend'

"There is something so cute and Insta-worthy about mini cookies," he said. "And baking them is a great way to pass the time at home. There are certain ingredients that we all have at home — like eggs and flour — and I think a lot of the trends are coming from people adding their own twist to what they can find in their kitchen." 

And both Schuble and Mussi agree that when it comes to food trends, everyone can't get enough of anything mini. 

Miniature waffles have already begun popping up on Instagram as well. 

And there are even mini Pop-Tarts!

"I am now obsessed with mini versions of things and eating them in cereal form," Mussi said. "I'm already brainstorming what to make next!"

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