Description
These Cotton Candy Cookies are soft, sweet, and full of nostalgic carnival flavor! With swirls of pink and blue and a chewy sugar cookie base, they’re eye-catching and full of whimsy—perfect for birthday parties, baby showers, or a fun baking day with kids.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp cotton candy flavoring (LorAnn or similar)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- Pink and blue gel food coloring
- Optional: pastel sprinkles or sanding sugar for topping
Instructions
- Cream Butter & Sugar
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
- Add Egg & Flavoring
- Beat in the egg and cotton candy flavoring until fully combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry mix into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Divide & Color
- Divide dough into two equal portions.
- Tint one portion pink and the other blue with gel food coloring. Mix each color just until streaks disappear.
- Create Cotton Candy Swirls
- Pinch off small pieces of each color and gently press them together to form a marbled dough ball. Repeat to form all cookies (don’t overmix or colors will muddy).
- Chill (optional but recommended)
- Chill the dough balls for 30–60 minutes for a better shape and texture.
- Bake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until edges are just set. Cookies will look slightly underdone in the center—perfect for a soft, chewy texture.
- Cool & Decorate
- Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Add pastel sprinkles while warm if desired.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 170 kcal
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg