When I was little and the pickiest eater in all the land, one of the few things that my mom knew I would consistently eat was sugary cereal. You know how they say that you should let picky kids just starve until they’ll eat whatever you put in front of them? Yeah, that didn’t quite work for me. After multiple hunger strikes (we’re talking all day affairs), my mom finally learned that if I didn’t like it, I wasn’t going to eat it. That meant that sometimes, when I wasn’t eating plain rice, I would get to eat cereal for dinner.
I was a brat, I admit it. And the funniest thing is that I pretty much eat everything now, so I can’t really say why I was so bratty. The other funny thing is, aside from these Fruity Pebbles, I don’t even remember the last time I ate sugary cereal. Wait. I do remember. I threw a cereal party in 2011(!) with a bunch of sugary cereals, Sunday morning cartoons, screwdrivers and mimosas.
When I opened the box of Fruity Pebbles I was instantly taken back to childhood. Cereal is definitely a supremely nostalgic kid food for me. I mean, somedays, I ate it three times a day. Now my food horizon has expanded quite a bit, but when I saw this recipe for Fruity Pebble meringues in Christina Tosi’s latest book, Milk Bar Life, I just had to make them.
They’re crispy, crunchy, and most of all, fun! I was worried that they would be too sweet, but they’re kind of sort of perfect if you’re looking for a treat that reminds you of childhood. Plus they make me smile – I can never resist eating rainbow colored things.
Fruity Pebbles Meringues very slightly adapted from Milk Bar Life by Christina Tosi
makes 12 meringues
- 2 large egg whites (cold)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 cup Fruity Pebbles
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
With the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer on high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt and whisk for another minute, until salt dissolves and eggs stiffen slightly. Add the icing sugar and beat on low until combined, and then on high until glossy stiff peaks form. Gently Fold in the cereal.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out uniform meringues (or use a spoon to drop tablespoons of meringue) 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for three hours until completely dry. Let cool completely before enjoying.
Notes: I decreased the amount of Fruity Pebbles by half because I wanted more meringue to cereal. Feel free to double the amount of Fruity Pebbles if desired. Also, there was a Passion Fruit Curd with this recipe, which I skipped out on. The original recipe has you pipe passion fruit curd inside the meringues, but my meringues didn’t come out hollow, so I skipped out on that. Instead, I spooned on some pureed mango which was smooth, slight tart and a nice contrast to the crisp and crunchy sweet meringues.
This is such a lovely idea! Let’s face it, sugary cereal is really more of a dessert than a meal. This is the perfect excuse to eat it in an adult-like fashion ;D and they’re so beautiful too.
Oooh I will have to check out the new Momofuku cookbook! These meringues look delicious–and cute too, with the colorful cereal :)
Hail the cereal meal! I am a serial cereal collector and eater; my breakfast is almost always cereal. I am in love with rainbow cereal raining down into pure white folds of sugary meringue, so glad you did this recipe Stephanie!
Your history with food is like mine as a kid; I would not eat rice unless it was covered in soy sauce and in a dome shape. Lets says I went on hunger strikes for most meals of the day before they gave in with soy covered rice.
Ok, I think my afternoon plans just changed. I need a box of Fruity Pebbles, STAT!
Can’t wait to try these! Beautiful photos <3
I am in LOVE with this, Stephanie!! First of all, I love Fruity Pebbles and secondly, Christina Tosi. In fact! We had a Momofuku Milk Bar style wedding cake and it was pretty amazing. How many other cereals could you use for meringues? :D
DAY LONG HUNGER STRIKES?! dang, girl, you meant business! i should have taken a cue from you when i was little. and seriously, these pictures are BEYOND. you have made art out of fruity pebbles. amazing.
Man, I was the pickiest eater when I was young too – pretty much exclusively ate carbs, carbs, and did I mention carbs?
Thanks for sharing, Steph – and love the photography here too!
Ohmygod, I actually gasped out loud when I saw these. What a freakin’ genius recipe. I have such a lady crush on Christina Tosi, you don’t even know. She is like, one of my ultimate baking heroes.
Also, I was such a picky eater when I was a kid too; it’s funny how things change.
OK, so 1. THESE. These are SO so cute, springy and festive!! I can just imagine how amazing the texture is between these puffs of meringue and the crunchy cereal, and with pureed mango?! So dreamy. 2. A cereal party sounds like THE BEST THING EVER. I wish we were neighbors! and 3. Um. I am crazy impressed by your all-day hunger strikes. I didn’t really like eating all that much when I was little (um, WHAT. happened) and I can remember being shut in the family room with a sad bowl of food and my parents yelling that I couldn’t come out til I ate it — hahaha! Times have changed……. Love this so much, Steph!