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    Home » Recipes » All Desserts

    Fruity Pebbles Cookies

    Published: Apr 3, 2023 by In Fine Taste · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    These easy fruity pebble cookies have a citrus sugar cookie base that's loaded with fruity pebbles. It has a crisp exterior and soft, chewy interior. They’re easy to make, totally delicious, and taste of nostalgia for your favorite childhood breakfast cereal.

    fruity pebbles cooke on edge of baking pan.

    Why You’ll Love this Recipe

    Some recipes really frustrate me, and this one one seemed like it should've been pretty straight forward but I had to make so many versions of these fruity pebble cookies before I was satisfied with the recipe. I tried versions of them with white chocolate, marshmallows, pudding mix, cornstarch, and all white sugar. None of them were quite right. But this recipe is perfection.

    Here’s why you’ll love these cookies:

    • Fast and easy—under 20 minutes to make
    • No chilling required
    • Crispy exterior with soft and chewy centers
    • Loaded and coated in fruity pebbles
    • Smaller batch—just a dozen cookies—double the recipe to make more!

    These fruity pebbles cookies have sugar cookie base with a hint of lemon zest and cream cheese. The lemon zest amplifies the fruity flavor and the cream cheese in the dough keeps these soft and adds a subtle tang that helps cut through the sweetness.

    I originally loved the idea of adding white chocolate chips and marshmallows into the dough but found them to be overwhelmingly sweet. By leaving them out it really lets the fruity pebbles shine in these sugar cookies. These fruity pebbles cookies are rolled in extra fruity pebbles and sugar you end up with a crisp outer shell  that protects the soft, chewy center of these cookies.

    Ingredient Notes

    ingredients for the recipe laid out.
    • Butter. Butter adds a great flavor and keeps the fruity pebbles cookies tender. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
    • Cream Cheese. Cream cheese keeps the cookies soft and adds a subtle tang that helps balance out the sweetness of these cookies.
    • Sugar. We use mostly white sugar for a classic sugar cookie flavor.
    • Lemon Zest. A little lemon zest helps bump up the fruity flavor that the fruity pebbles cereal brings to the cookies.
    • Brown Sugar. A little bit of brown sugar adds moisture, and the molasses in the brown sugar adds depth to the flavor profile. We used light brown sugar.
    • Vanilla. A little vanilla adds bakery flavor.
    • Egg. Egg works as binder. We used large eggs.
    • Salt. Salt helps enhance flavors and balance out the sweetness.
    • Baking Soda. Baking soda helps the cookies crisp, brown, and rise.
    • Flour. We used all-purpose flour for the body of our cookie dough.
    • Fruity Pebbles. Fruity pebbles add a crisp fruity flavors. We used Post Fruity Pebbles, but feel free to use an off brand.

    How to Make this Recipe

    two images showing how to rub in the lemon zest and how to cream ingredients together.
    1. Rub zest into sugar. in a medium-sized bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar. This will help the oils release better.
    2. Cream until light. Add the (lemon-zested) sugar, butter, and cream cheese into a mixing bowl and beat together for 1 minute until smooth. Then add in the vanilla, egg, and brown sugar. Beat on high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
    two images showing how to stir in dry ingredients and cereal.
    1. Add dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to your creamed mixture. Mix on low until just barely incorporated.
    2. Add fruity pebbles. Stir in the fruity pebbles cereal until it’s evenly dispersed. You should have a soft dough.
    two images showing how to roll cookie dough in cereal and then in sugar.
    1. Roll dough. Scoop ¼ cup of dough shape into a ball. Roll the cookie dough in fruity pebbles (picture 5a) and then roll it in sugar (picture 5b).
    two images showing cookie dough ball and then baked cookie.
    1. Bake. Place cookie dough on a baking sheet. Leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-11 minutes. Cool completely before eating.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Can I double this recipe?

    Absolutely, this recipe is a “small batch” and only makes one dozen cookies. If you’d like to double it, just double the ingredients and follow the instructions as written.

    Why do you rub the lemon zest in the sugar first?

    Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar helps release the lemon oils in the zest for maximum flavor.

    Why is my cookie dough dry?

    The cookie dough should be soft. If it is dry it’s likely you added too much flour. To fix it try adding a small amount of melted butter (1 teaspoon at a time) to the dough to bring it back together.

    Can I make these cookies bigger or smaller?

    I recommend using ¼ cup of dough to make your cookies for a good balance of crisp exterior and soft interior. You can try making these fruity pebbles sugar cookies bigger or smaller if you like, you may need to adjust the baking time.

    fruity pebbles cookies laid out on top of each other on baking sheet.

    Expert Tips

    • Use room temperature ingredients. It’s best to use room temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs. They’ll incorporate best with the other ingredients at room temperature.
    • Measure ingredients carefully. Measure the ingredients carefully before you add them. I’ve included the weights of the ingredients because that’s how I prefer to measure my ingredients for accuracy. If you’re not using a scale, spoon and level the flour, refer to our guide on how to measure flour if you need more guidance. Make sure the brown sugar is packed.
    • Don’t over mix the dough. Once you add in the flour do not over mix the dough. Gluten can start to develop and make the cookies tough. When you add in the cereal, stir it in gently.
    • Cool completely. These cookies are best when completely cool. The fruity pebbles cereal kind of tastes stale to me if you eat these while warm. The cereal crisps back up as it cools, for a perfect crisp exterior.

    Recipe Variations

    Feel free to try out some variations of these fruity pebbles cookie recipe! You can swap the lemon zest for orange zest, add in white chocolate or mini marshmallows. Stuff the center with a large marshmallow like my marshmallow chocolate chip cookies.

    You can also try swapping out the cereal in this recipe. If you’re using an non-fruity flavored cereal I would omit the lemon zest. If you use a larger cereal, like cinnamon toast crunch, crush up the cereal into smaller pieces before measuring and adding.

    cookie with bite out of it on baking sheet.

    How to Store this Recipe

    These fruity pebbles cookies are best stored at room temperature and eaten within 3 days.

    Freezer

    You can freeze the cookie dough and the cookies. To freeze the cookie dough, roll the cookie dough into balls and then in the fruity pebbles and sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then transfer to a freezer gallon bag or an airtight container. To bake the cookie dough, thaw the cookie dough to room temperature, then bake according to normal instructions. Use within 3 months.

    To freeze these fruity pebbles cookies, cool the cookies completely, then place in a freezer gallon bag or an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw completely before eating.

    signature: "Enjoy! Alyssa".

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    P.S. If you tried this recipe or any other In Fine Taste recipe take a second and rate it below! We love hearing what you think.  Let’s stay in touch! Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest for more recipe ideas.

    fruity pebble cookie on edge of baking sheet.

    Fruity Pebbles Cookies

    These easy fruity pebble cookies have a citrus sugar cookie base that’s loaded with fruity pebbles. It has a crisp exterior and soft, chewy interior. They’re easy to make, totally delicious, and taste of nostalgia for your favorite childhood breakfast.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: All Desserts
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 12 cookies
    Calories: 259kcal
    Author: In Fine Taste--Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about half a lemon)
    • ½ cup butter (113 grams) room temperature
    • 3 tablespoons cream cheese (42 grams) room temperature
    • ¼ cup light brown sugar (56 grams) packed
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (227 grams)
    • 1 cup Fruity pebbles cereal

    For Rolling Cookies in

    • ¾ cup Fruity Pebbles cereal
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat or grease pan. Set aside.
    • Add lemon zest to the white, granulated sugar and use your fingers to rub them together.
    • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, white sugar (with lemon zest until smooth.
    • Add in vanilla, egg, and brown sugar. Cream together for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy and paled in color.
    • Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just barely combined. Then stir in the fruity pebbles cereal.
    • Place fruity pebbles for rolling in in a small bowl. Place sugar for rolling in in separate bowl. Scoop ¼ cup of cookie dough and roll in fruity pebbles. Then roll the cookie dough in sugar.
    • Place on baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.Cool completely before eating.

    Video

    Notes

    • Freezing the cookie dough. You can freeze the cookie dough and the cookies. To freeze the cookie dough, roll the cookie dough in the fruity pebbles and sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then transfer to a freezer gallon bag or an airtight continuer. To bake the cookie dough, thaw the cookie dough to room temperature, then bake according to normal instructions. Use within 3 months.
    • Freezing the cookies. To freeze the cookies, cool the cookies completely, then place in a freezer gallon bag or an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw completely before eating.
    • Use room temperature ingredients. It’s best to use room temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs. They’ll incorporate best with the other ingredients at room temperature.
    • Measure ingredients carefully. Measure the ingredients carefully before you add them. I’ve included the weights of the ingredients because that’s how I prefer to measure my ingredients for accuracy. If you’re not using a scale, spoon and level the flour, refer to our guide on how to measure flour if you need more guidance. Make sure the brown sugar is packed.
    • Don’t over mix the dough. Once you add in the flour do not over mix the dough. Gluten can start to develop and make the cookies tough. When you add in the cereal, stir it in gently.
    • Cool completely. These cookies are best when completely cool. The fruity pebbles cereal kind of tastes stale to me if you eat these while warm. The cereal crisps back up as it cools, for a perfect crisp exterior.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 454IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
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