Cotton Candy Cookies (Printable)
Soft pastel cookies bursting with sweet cotton candy flavor, ideal for parties and special occasions.
# Ingredient List:
→ 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
→ Color and Finish
11 - Pink and blue gel food coloring
12 - 1/4 cup colored sprinkles (optional)
# How to Make:
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 bowl using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and cotton candy flavoring until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture, 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 reaches a soft pastel shade.
07 - Pinch off a small piece of dough from each colored batch and gently press them together to form a swirled ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. Optionally, roll each 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 look slightly soft. Do not overbake.
09 - Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- The cotton candy flavoring is a total wildcard that makes people close their eyes and grin on the first bite.
- Splitting the dough into two colors looks fancy but takes almost zero extra effort, which is my favorite kind of trick.
02 -
- Overbaking is the enemy here, so pull them out when the centers still look a touch soft because carryover heat will finish the job.
- Gel food coloring is non negotiable if you want clean pastels, since liquid coloring turns the dough sticky and the colors muddy.
03 -
- Chill the dough for twenty minutes before shaping if your kitchen is warm, because firm dough holds the swirl pattern much better during baking.
- Go light on the gel coloring at first, since you can always add more but you cannot tone it down once it is mixed in.