Abstract: Disclosed are methods for coating discrete food pieces with a sweet coating such as in the preparation of a presweetened ready-to-eat cereal. The coating contains a mixture of crystalline fructose and high fructose corn syrup. The amorphous fructose of the HFCS is converted in situ into the sweeter beta fructo-pyranose. The method of preparation comprises the steps, in sequence of: (A) providing a base of dried food pieces; (B) applying HFCS seeded with up to 2% powdered crystalline fructose; (C) enrobing dry powdered crystalline fructose onto the cereal pieces in a weight ratio of crystalline fructose to HFCS of from 2:1 to 1:1; (D) coating the food base pieces with an edible oil; and (E) dusting with a dry powdered sugar.