Mrs. Coy Wrenn’s original recipe calls for graham cracker crumbs rather than cereal. That would make for a very different flavor, of course. I expect you could put anything you want in as the dry ingredient, from oatmeal to vanilla wafers.
This is yet another variation on no-bake cookies, and the original title was “My Mother-in-Law’s Fudge Cookies”. It also, of course, shares a lot with the various fudge recipes that use marshmallows. Whatever the origin, it’s a great treat. So say a little prayer of thanks to Coy Wrenn’s mother!
Whoever first discovered the sudden flowering of flavor from pouring a little wine into the pot remains unknown, an unsung genius in gastronomical history. — Lee Hecker (Favorite Recipes of California Winemakers)