Cotton Candy Cookies (Print Version)
Soft pastel cookies swirled with pink and blue, bursting with sweet cotton candy flavor for festive occasions.
# What You 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 light brown sugar, packed
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 - 1 teaspoon cotton candy flavoring (or to taste)
→ Color & Finish
11 - Pink and blue gel food coloring
12 - 1/4 cup colored sprinkles (optional)
# Preparation Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 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 combined.
03 - In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the large egg, vanilla extract, and cotton candy flavoring into the butter mixture until fully combined and smooth.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
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 gently until each portion reaches a soft pastel shade.
07 - Pinch off a small piece of dough from each colored portion and gently press them together to form a swirled ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing each ball about 2 inches apart. Optionally, roll each dough ball in colored sprinkles before placing on the sheet.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still appear slightly underbaked. Remove from the oven promptly.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They capture that nostalgic cotton candy flavor without needing any special equipment beyond a bottle of flavoring.
- The swirled pastel dough looks straight out of a bakery display case but is honestly one of the easiest cookie recipes you will ever make.
02 -
- Overmixing the flour is the fastest way to turn these dreamy cookies into something tough and dense, so stop mixing the second the flour disappears.
- Gel food coloring is nonnegotiable because liquid coloring throws off the dough consistency and leaves you with cookies that spread into flat crispy discs.
03 -
- Chill the shaped dough balls on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before baking to help the cookies hold their round shape and intensify the pastel color.
- Always underbake by one minute rather than overbaking, because these cookies continue to set on the hot pan after you pull them from the oven.