fruity pebble + marshmallow cookie.

Am I serious right now? A fruity pebble marshmallow cookie? I must to be kidding.

But I am not kidding. Not at all. It’s a version of the Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow cookie they mention in the Milk Bar cookbook and I had to try it. You see, I am a cereal addict. I love it. I’d eat it all the time if it was at all good for people to do such things. I have loved cereal forever – and i’m not even talking about the super-sugary kind. Even things like Cheerios and Corn Flakes in my pantry cause me to rethink/ditch my dinner plans for a bowlful of starchy goodness. 

This is probably one of the reasons I am in love with the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook this year. They seem to feel the same way about all things cereal. Since i had so much fun with the Cornflake version, i thought i’d give the Fruity Pebble one a whirl.

I confess: I was worried about the sweetness. Obviously Fruity Pebbles are much sweeter than Cornflakes, and I wasn’t sure if that would kill this cookie for me. Surprisingly, making the Fruity Pebble Crunch (the first step in the cookie process), in my opinion, zaps some of the sweetness right out of those Pebbles, leaving you with a really lovely salty, crunchy, mildly sweet base to work from. And boy, do they make a nice snack.

I have talked about this before, but I have a deep admiration for the creaming method used for all the Milk Bar cookies. It’s nothing short of incredible. Make sure you do it. I would love to tell you how sad you will be if you don’t do it, but i don’t have the heart to ignore the process when I make these cookies. But look at that batter post-creaming:

Fluffy like a summer cloud. Would you want to skip it? I didn’t think so.

Since by now most of you know how obsessed I am with this cookbook, I won’t bore you with professions of love this time. Other than to tell you I solemnly swear to make every single thing in this book. I promise. This weekend i’m going to order everything I need to make the cakes; things like acetate strips, cake collars, pistachio paste, passion fruit puree…the list goes on. I’m beyond excited. Also a little intimidated, but I can work through that.

I firmly believe that once you master one of the Momofuku cookies, you can master them all, so please refer to my guide for the Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow cookies to help you with these. They are not the easiest cookies to get right; go slowly and don’t shortcut and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious treat.

Yes: those.

Just gazing upon that river of marshmallows makes me want to whip up another batch.

This could be due to the absence of chocolate in these, but the Fruity Pebble version seemed to be less touchy than its Cornflake counterpart. I baked mine for exactly 13 minutes and they came out, well, just like what you see above. My one tip on these is seen below, and I think this holds true for any cookie involving marshmallows:

See the difference in spread and gooeyness? See how the marshmallow goes from fluffy-melty to almost candy-like? That’s the difference thirty seconds makes with these things. Which is why I say to really watch, I mean stand there and WATCH, your first batch to see how long they’ll take for you. Every oven is different, so you want to get the most out of your effort. It’s definitely worth your time to begin really scrutinizing these at the 10-minute mark.

The good news? once you’ve got your timing down, the rest is easy. Just pop them in a few at a time and they’ll do the rest. They cool rather quickly (again, I think not having chocolate in them helps that) so you can enjoy them almost right away.

Now, off to make my Amazon order list for the cake section of this beloved book.

Adapted from The Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi. Her genius is my fun baking life right now.

Marshmallow + Fruity Pebble Crunch Cookie

for the fruity pebble crunch:

• 2 1/2 cups of fruity pebbles
• 1/4 cup of milk powder
• 1 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

for the cookies:

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups fruity pebble crunch (or the whole recipe, which leaves none for you to snack on. moment of silence.)
• 1 1/4 mini marshmallows

First things first: Crunch time.

Preheat oven to 275˚F.

Pour the fruity pebbles in a medium bowl. Add the milk powder, sugar and salt and toss to mix. Add the butter and toss well to coat. The mixture should form small clusters.

Spread the clusters on to a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, until toasted and buttery-smelling. and delicious.

Cool the crunch mixture completely before adding to your cookie mixture. It cools pretty fast, so while you’re waiting on this to finish cooling, begin assembling your cookies.

Now for the cookie dough.

Line a sheet pan which will fit comfortably in your refrigerator with parchment paper. Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat on high for 7-8 minutes. I mean it.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than one minute. Do not overmix.

Still on low speed, mix in the fruity pebble crunch just until incorporated, no more than 30 seconds or so. Add the marshmallows and mix again on low just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. If you feel like it’s uneven, use a spatula or large spoon and sort of fold them in the rest of the way.

Using an ice cream scoop equal to 1/3 cup measure (thereabouts) portion out the dough onto your prepared sheet pan. Push the tops of the cookies a little flat; not all the way smooshed but just so they’re less roundy and more flat on top. Wrap entire sheet in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (I say at least two hours) or up to one week.

Finally! We bake the cookies.

When you’re ready, preheat oven to 350˚F.

Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Don’t ignore this instruction: it will mean you have to do several batches in and out of the oven, but it won’t work putting them closer together. I use half-sheet pans, and I did six per pan. Bake for 10-13 minutes, watching carefully after the 10-minute mark. When done, the cookies should be golden but not all disfigured (like my fig. 2). Remove them when the marshmallows are melty, but not getting dark like candy.

Cool the cookies completely (they’re very breaky when still warm) on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or container for storage. At room temperature, they should keep for 5 days. Freezer? One month.