Fruity Pebbles Cookies
Let me begin this post by saying, I am not really a sugary-cereal person. Most of the time I am headed towards the granola rather than reaching for the sugar bombs that we call cereal. But there is something about those Pebbles!!
Cocoa or Fruity, I have such a hard time resisting these guys. They just remind me so much of childhood. I don't know why, because we didn't really grow up with cereal in the house! Maybe it's just because I wanted them so badly as a kid. All I know is, I always end up asking Santa for a box of the goodies for Christmas and like magic he always delivers.
Flash to a month ago when I started trying my hand at dessert recipes. After my successful FIRST EVER DESSERT RECIPE (Caramel Apple Cupcakes), I started brainstorming other ideas for sweet treats. You might know by now, that I'm not usually into developing desserts. I typically stick to savory items to avoid eating too much sugar. My mom is the dessert maker, so if I want a dessert I usually beg her to make something sweet for Sunday dinners. I typically stick to savory items to avoid eating too much sugar.
So I started listing all my favorite sugary flavors and this one made the list. I knew I wanted a fluffy and chewy cookie topped with crispy cereal, and boy did this deliver. I also slipped my favorite ingredient in here - Greek yogurt! You know I gotta slip SOME kind of trick in here!
This did NOT come as easy as my first dessert recipe, though. It took quite a few times of testing and re-testing, shooting and RE-shooting for me to get this right. It's a labor of love. All for you, dears.
The citrus flavored dough is chock-full of Fruity Pebbles and topped with a cream cheese buttercream. It's a perfect fluffy cookie and has a wonderful combination of chewy and crisp textures with the cereal topping.
Oh, and if you're needing another reason to love these... I'll give you another....
HECK. YES. Bake the dough in a muffin tin and top with ice cream! If you have a soul at all you are probably dying. I topped mine with good ole' Ghiradelli White Chocolate Sauce and more fresh Fruity Pebbles.
Ready to relive your childhood?
Fruity Pebbles Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 8-10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Fruity Pebbles Cookies: - 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar - zest of 1 orange
- 1/3 cup greek yogurt - 2 Tablespoons orange juice, fresh
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar - 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 1/2 cup Fruity Pebbles
- 4 1/2 cup flour - 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup sugar
- extra Fruity Pebbles for topping
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, combine 1 cup butter, sugar, and orange zest. Beat until light and fluffy. Add greek yogurt, orange juice, powdered sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until fully combined, scraping sides of the mixing bowl as needed with a spatula.
2. In a separate bowl, combine Fruity Pebbles, flour, salt and baking soda. Add about a third of the flour mixture to the ingredients in the mixer, and mix on medium speed. When incorporated, add another third and repeat the process until all ingredients are combined and a dough ball begins to form.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into golf ball sized balls and place on parchment paper. Place 1/4 cup sugar on a small plate. Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar, and then use the glass to press into the cookie balls to flatten. Make sure each cookie has at least 1 1/2 inch between them; the cookies won't spread too much but you don't want them to form one big cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on your oven. Start checking them at about 8 minutes. They will not darken, but they will firm up.
4. While cookies are baking, beat remaining butter, cream cheese, salt and powdered sugar for frosting. Set aside. When cookies are done, remove from oven and put immediately onto a cooling rack. Let cool for about 20 minutes, until completely cool.
5. After cookies have completely cooled, top with lots of Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting and extra Fruity Pebbles.
6. ENJOY and post with #perfectleehungry.
