Frosted Fruity Pebbles Cookies are oversized gourmet cookies that will take you back to those early mornings before school at your kitchen table crunching on a big bowl of Fruity Pebbles and cold milk. Not only is this colorful cookie fun to look at, but the cream cheese & marshmallow frosting make this dessert a childhood dream! Yabba Dabba Doo something amazing today with this recipe!
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Lately, I have been on a major cookie kick. I blame Crumbl Cookies and their big, warm cookies. Normally that's not a problem for me because I live in the California Bay Area and Crumbl started out in Utah, but recently a Crumbl location opened up not too far from me. It's far enough that I don't like to make the drive unless they happen to be serving up one of my favorite flavors that week, but it's still dangerous enough.
I really enjoy making cookies fresh at home anyway. The process of creaming butter and sugar together then adding the other ingredients and my favorite mix-ins is just so relaxing and fun, not to mention less expensive since you can make a batch of cookies for the cost of 1 or 2 of the cookies at any of those gourmet cookie shops.
I absolutely love cookies! They're are the perfect amount and combination of sweetness and texture. If you are a cookie fan too, some of our other favorites are Monster Cookies and Lemon Glazed Cookies.
I haven't actually ever seen a Crumbl Fruity Pebbles Cookie, but when I first made these, I did them without the frosting. While they were good, they just felt like they were missing something and turned to Crumbl for inspiration. I had seen other fruity pebble cookies with marshmallows and some dipped in white chocolate, but then I put on my "what would Crumbl do?" thinking cap and decided they would probably add a layer of frosting.
I love frosted cookies and the very first batch I made where I added that element were an immediate sensation! The bit of chewy crunch from the cereal gives an amazing textural element to the cookie itself. And the creamy, tangy sweet frosting which is made with a little cream cheese and marshmallow fluff is on point and the perfect compliment to the cookie base!
I'm going to have to recreate a couple of my other favorite Crumbl flavors like caramel popcorn cookies and cinnamon swirl cookies next! If you have been to Crumbl, I would love to know what your favorite Crumbl cookies are in the comments below!
What You'll Need
- Butter: I always use salted butter in my baking. I know it’s risky business softening butter in the microwave, but I have found that if I heat it for 10 seconds, then flip the sticks over and heat another 4-5 seconds, it ends up perfectly soft without melting into a puddle.
- Sugar: You will use both granulated and brown sugar in this recipe, plus some powdered sugar if you go the frosting route.
- Eggs: These are for binding, chewiness, and flavor as the egg yolks add a little richness to the dough.
- Vanilla: Good vanilla extract makes any baked good taste better!
- Salt: Don't be afraid to add salt! A good cookie NEEDS a little salt to balance out the sweetness.
- Baking Soda: Because, science. This ingredient gives a little lift to cookies. It is what helps them spread out just a bit while baking.
- Baking Powder: Again, science. This is also going to help the cookies rise a bit and stay soft. Remember, powder puffs, soda spreads when trying to remember how each affects your baking.
- Flour: Keep it simple with regular all-purpose flour. That's all you need for these cookies!
- Fruity Pebbles Cereal: This is a childhood classic! You won't use the entire box, so you can definitely sit down to enjoy a bowl of cereal with milk later.
- White Chocolate Chips: I just love white chocolate and thought they would work well in these cookies. You can omit if you feel like it, but I thought they were delicious.
How to Make Fruity Pebble Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar together: Creaming butter and sugar together is an essential step for any baker. It just means letting them beat for a good 2-3 minutes until they lighten in color. It’s definitely easiest to do if you have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but can totally be done with a hand mixer as well.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Mix again, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl so these get evenly incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt: In older recipes, you might see these referred to as the “dry ingredients” rather than listing them all out again. Be careful not to overdo it on this step. You only want to stir the ingredients until there are just streaks of flour left in the dough.
- Stir in the fun stuff! Very gently stir in the fruity pebbles and white chocolate chips so as not to completely crush the cereal.
- Get ready to bake! Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out mounds of dough and shape them into balls. I like to roll each ball of cookie dough in a bowl filled with even more fruity pebbles for some extra color and texture although you definitely skip this extra step if you wanted.
- Bake at 350 degrees: Then put the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about six to a sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes.
- Make the frosting: While the cookies are baking and starting to cool, go ahead and make the frosting by beating butter until creamy, then adding marshmallow fluff and powdered sugar. Beat again until smooth.
- Add the frosting: I like to let the cookies cool just a bit and then pipe the frosting on in swirls starting in the center and working out toward the edges. Sprinkle a few additional Fruity Pebbles on top for decoration.
How do I keep my cookies from getting hard?
When you mix the dough after you add flour, gluten is formed. The more you mix, the more gluten you'll have, which makes tough cookies. Just be careful not to over mix the dough after you add the flour. Only mix until just streaks of flour is left in the dough.
How do I keep my cookies from spreading so much?
Stay away from non-stick spray or butter as those create an overly greasy base for the cookies, which causes them to spread. I like to line my cookie sheet with parchment paper. A silicone baking mat works great too. You could also refrigerate your dough for 30 minutes to an hour to let the butter in the dough firm up a bit, although I don't find that necessary with these cookies.
Can I freeze these cookies?
If you want to make these ahead and freeze them, the cookies freeze well without the frosting on top. Just freeze for up to 2-3 months in an airtight container, then thaw on the counter at room temperature before frosting and serving.
How do I store my Fruity Pebble Cookies?
Because these cookies have a cream cheese frosting on top, they should be stored in the fridge if they aren't eaten within a few hours. An alternative is to only frost the cookies you plan to eat and just store the frosting in the fridge, keeping the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container on the counter until ready to frost and decorate.
Is there another frosting option?
Another option instead of frosting these cookies would be to dip half of each cookie into melted white chocolate for more of a candy finish.
More Cookie Recipes
- Andes Mint Cookies
- Strawberry Whoopie Pies
- Chocolate Chip Smore Cookies
- Lime Meltaway Shortbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
- Berger Cookies
- Best Fudgy Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Easy Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Funfetti White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Frosted Fruity Pebble Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (200g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (529g)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups fruity pebbles cereal, divided
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Frosting (optional)
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 7 ounces marshmallow cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until creamy and light. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until combined. Stir in 2 cups of the fruity pebbles and the white chocolate chips.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out approximately ½ cup mounds of dough and shape them into balls. Roll each ball of cookie dough in a shallow bowl filled with the remaining fruity pebbles.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, six to a sheet. Press them down to flatten to about 1-inch thick.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until set around the edges. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and marshmallow cream, then beat until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip or a large ziploc bag. Use scissors to snip off one corner for piping, if using the ziploc bag.
- Once the cookies have cooled somewhat but are still warm, pipe the frosting on in swirls starting in the center and working out toward the edges. Sprinkle a few additional Fruity Pebbles on top for decoration.
Notes
- Freezing: If you want to make these ahead and freeze them, the cookies freeze well without the frosting on top. Just freeze for up to 2-3 months in an airtight container, then thaw on the counter at room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Storage: Because these cookies have a cream cheese frosting on top, they should be stored in the fridge if they aren't eaten within a few hours. An alternative is to only frost the cookies you plan to eat and just store the frosting in the fridge, keeping the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container on the counter until ready to frost and decorate.
- Dipping in white chocolate: Another option instead of frosting these cookies would be to dip half of each cookie into melted white chocolate for more of a candy finish.
OMG I am ADDICTED to Crumbl cookies! I can't wait to see the new flavors every monday and see how many trips I am going to make there each week. Although the original sugar cookie is my all time favorite, with the coconut lime being a close second, I did have to eat three of these when they had the flavor! Can't wait to make them at home now and save $$ Thanks for the recipe!
I think Crumbl should take some direction from you! These were so delicious! Loved the marshmallow frosting and I agree, they add a sensational touch!
Hi, What other ingredient I can use insted of the mashmallow cream?
Help me please
You could absolutely just leave out the marshmallow cream entirely and use a regular buttercream.
Can I make these with individual cookie being smaller? I have a potluck for work and don’t need the cookies that large.
Yes, of course. You might need to decrease the bake time by a minute or two.
Cookies were so sweet, I had to scap them. Even without the icing. Disappointing.
Sorry these weren't for you!
The BEST cookies I’ve ever made! These cookies are huge and I made them exactly as instructed but omitted the frosting. They were so great and IMO they weren’t missing the frosting sweetness. My husband has requested these again and I can’t wait to make them 🙂 Thank you for this gem of a recipe!
I'm so glad you loved these! Yeah, they don't need the frosting if you don't want it. 🙂
The cookies were AHHHHmazing! One question. Is there a way to stiffen up the frosting a little. Love the taste, but it was soft even after refrigerating it before using it. The circular swirl almost melted into itself. If I used cream of tartar, would that firm the frosting up a little? And how much would I add?
I'm so glad you loved them! Yes, this frosting does have a tendency to be really soft. The trick is to actually mix it as little as you can, especially once you add the powdered sugar. Beat the cream cheese by itself until it's smooth, then add the marshmallow fluff and powdered sugar and only beat until it is combined. Unlike regular buttercream frosting, you don't want to whip this one because it just keeps getting softer and softer the more you beat it. I haven't tried using cream of tartar to thicken it up - it could work but I wouldn't add more than 1/2 to 1 teaspoon or I think it will affect the taste.
Excellent, I got 16 and they were still huge! Would def make again!
My cookies spread a lot when I baked them. Was this supposed to happen? I thought they were going to stay the size of a 1" disk. They are super thin and large now. Maybe 4" from side to side.
They definitely spread some, but they shouldn't spread a ton or be super thin. Try added an extra 1/2 cup of flour to your dough next time and see if that helps.