Cotton Candy Cookies (Printable)
Soft pastel cookies swirled in pink and blue with sweet cotton candy flavor, ideal for parties.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 - 1 teaspoon cotton candy flavoring (adjust to taste)
→ Color & Finish
11 - Pink and blue gel food coloring
12 - 1/4 cup colored sprinkles (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the large egg, vanilla extract, and cotton candy flavoring to the creamed mixture. Beat until all ingredients are fully combined and the batter is smooth.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until the dough just comes together. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
06 - Divide the dough evenly into two separate bowls. Add pink gel food coloring to one bowl and blue gel food coloring to the other. Fold each gently until soft pastel shades are achieved throughout.
07 - Pinch off a small portion from each colored dough and gently press them together to form a swirled, multi-colored ball. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, spacing each ball about 2 inches apart. If desired, roll each dough ball in colored sprinkles before placing on the sheet.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers appear slightly underbaked. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dual colored dough looks like you spent hours on it, but the technique takes about two minutes of gentle pressing.
- Cotton candy flavoring is unexpected and makes people close their eyes and smile on the first bite every single time.
02 -
- Overmixing the dough once the flour is added will make the cookies tough and bready instead of soft and delicate.
- Gel food coloring is nonnegotiable because liquid coloring changes the moisture balance and your cookies will spread into flat, sad puddles.
03 -
- Chill the shaped dough balls for fifteen minutes before baking to help the cookies hold their round shape and prevent excessive spreading.
- A light dusting of edible glitter on top right after baking elevates these from cute to absolutely magical with almost zero effort.