Cotton Candy Cookies (Printable)
Soft pastel cookies swirled in pink and blue with sweet cotton candy flavoring.
# 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 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)
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat 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, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and cotton candy flavoring until well combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Divide the dough evenly into two bowls. Add pink gel food coloring to one bowl and blue to the other, mixing gently until soft pastel shades are achieved.
07 - Pinch off a small piece from each colored dough and gently press them together to form a swirled ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Optionally, roll each ball in 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 underbaked.
09 - Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The cotton candy flavoring is pure magic and makes these taste like childhood in a single bite.
- Splitting the dough into two pastel colors takes almost no extra effort but looks incredibly impressive on a dessert table.
02 -
- Underbaking slightly is the single most important step because these cookies firm up dramatically on the rack.
- Gel food coloring is nonnegotiable since liquid coloring will make the dough sticky and the baked cookies will spread into sad flat puddles.
03 -
- Chill the shaped dough balls for 15 minutes in the fridge before baking to help them hold their round shape and intensify the pastel color.
- A toothpick dipped in flavoring lets you add it incrementally so you never accidentally overpower the dough with too much cotton candy punch.