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.
These photos are STUNNING, Stephanie! That color!
…. and yeah,the cereal thing. Sometimes I *still* eat it three times a day.
OMG!!!!! I loooooved Fruity Pebbles. Also, funny thing – for some reason I just heard about this book like 2 hours ago?! And now I’m reading an awesome recipe from it? Clearly I need this one pronto. Also, love your cereal party idea. That sounds like the bomb.
I was the same way as a kid I went thru a phase in middle school where all I would eat at lunch was plain rice with meat sauce. But not the actual meat. And plain rolls. So odd. Especially because my school had awesome home cooked lunches with dessert and salad and yummy food for free. I also went thru a sugar-y kid cereal phase in college but I think that was just general excitement about living in America for the first time and being able to eat all this ridiculous neon-colored / turns-your-milk-into-sludge stuff.
But most importantly I had to comment because that first picture!!! OMG. Words cannot describe. It’s absolutely transfixing. I am considering switching out my phone background from my cat to that. Its a big deal. I have had the same background since I got my cat 5 years ago. Not even the bf has made it there. Haha. But seriously, your pictures are always great but these in particular have me like O_O
Girl, your photography is so incredible, as usual. That first photo is just amazing! I was never a sugary cereal girl, mostly because my parents would never let us have it, but I definitely ate Harvest Crunch and Just Right every morning during my childhood. I loved Christina Tosi on Mind of a Chef so I’m sure these are awesome.
Girl! Yes to this 100x!!
STOPPPPPPP. I love this so so so much. The hero image is everything. And so are Fruity Pebble Meringues. You + Christina Tosi = magic. Total Tosi fangirl status here. And I love that you were a picky eater!! I commend you for the all day hunger strikes. That’s commitment to the cause right there. My cousin was the pickiest eater too. Only peanut butter-honey sandwiches for her. One more thing. I really do love love love these images. These might be my favorite photos ever.
I think it’s so cute to incorporate cereal into desserts. Adds so much colour too ( :
Oh my gosh. These are too fun. And they are totally transporting me back to my childhood!! Gorgeous photos, as always! XO
That shot of the fruity pebbles going into the measuring cup is sick. These sound/look absolutely amazing, I really need to get my hands on the Milk Bar Life book soon! Also, a cereal. mimosa. screwdriver. cartoon. PARTY? I feel like I’ve been depriving myself with all of my lame parties.
This is the most colorful post ever! Love it!