Cotton Candy Cookies (Printer-Friendly)
Soft pastel-swirled cookies with cotton candy flavor, perfect for parties and festive occasions.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
10 - 1/2 tsp cotton candy flavoring
→ Color and Garnish
11 - Pink and blue gel food coloring
12 - 1/2 cup cotton candy for garnish
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and cotton candy flavoring to the butter mixture. Beat until smooth and well combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
06 - Divide the dough evenly into two bowls. Add a few drops of pink gel food coloring to one half and blue to the other. Mix each until the color is evenly distributed.
07 - Pinch off a small amount of each colored dough and gently roll them together in your palms to form a 1.5-inch ball with a marbled swirl effect. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the cookies are set but still soft in the center. Avoid overbaking.
09 - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - If desired, top each cooled cookie with a small tuft of cotton candy just before serving for a whimsical presentation.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The marbled pink and blue dough looks impressive but requires zero artistic talent, just roll two colors together and the oven does the rest.
- Cotton candy flavoring adds a nostalgic carnival twist that surprises people in the best way.
02 -
- Gel food coloring is the only way to get vivid pastels without ruining the dough consistency, liquid coloring will turn your cookies muddy and spread too thin.
- Cotton candy garnish dissolves within minutes on a moist surface, so only add it right before serving or you will have sad sticky patches instead of fluffy clouds.
03 -
- Chill the colored dough for 15 minutes before rolling if your kitchen runs warm, it keeps the swirl pattern sharp instead of muddy.
- Clear vanilla extract keeps the dough base whiter so the pink and blue gel colors pop with full intensity.