Cotton candy cookies are a perfect addition to any spring or summer dessert table! Soft and chewy, brightly colored, and oh-so-fun.
What does cotton candy remind you of? For me, it’s all about my childhood. And a little place I like to call Kentucky Kingdom, baby!
I grew up (partially) in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Kingdom was a theme park that opened when I was ten years old. It was a big deal, especially the roller coasters it brought to the area.
And speaking of roller coasters, that theme park went on a roller coaster ride of going bankrupt, then being acquired, and repeating that several times.
Poor Kentucky Kingdom.
I’ll never forget the treats, one of my favorite parts of the Kingdom besides the rides. My theme park “drug” of choice was always cotton candy.
I was never truly a shaved ice girl . . . and milkshakes aren’t for me (the bloating!).
Cotton candy was my fave! And I still love the sweet candy now. That’s why I’ve made the dessert shots and rice krispie treats. I’ve always loved cotton candy!
Today I’m adding a third recipe to the stable – cotton candy cookies.
They’re cute, they’re colorful, and they’ve got cotton candy extract within. So you’ll get the soft and chewy cookie base with the sugar-y flavor you’re looking for . . . with a hint of vanilla!
I love that they are colorful, too. That makes them perfect for a summer party or a gender reveal.
Before you dive into this recipe, I’ve got some tips for you on making the best (and tastiest) cookies. If you’re interested, check them out. Otherwise scroll to the bottom for the cotton candy cookie recipe.
Tips for Making Delicious Cookies
Are you looking to make the tastiest cookies ever? I’ve got some tips for you. Here’s what I always make sure to pay attention to.
Use Quality Ingredients
Use high-quality, fresh ingredients for the best cookie flavor and texture. You’ll for sure want to get fresh eggs, good quality butter, and pure vanilla extract (instead of imitation).
Measure Precisely
Flour is often the main dry ingredient in these cookies. Measure using the scoop-and-level method, as adding too much flour can result in dry baked goods.
Bring Cold Ingredients to Room Temp
Bring ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature before mixing. They will incorporate better, resulting in smoother batter and soft cookies. They don’t need to be warm; slightly cool to room temp is fine.
Avoid Overmixing
Mix the batter just until ingredients are combined, or the dry disappears into the wet. Overmixing can result in tough cookies.
Chill the Dough
Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge for the specified time (or even overnight) before baking allows the flavors to meld and the fats to solidify. This results in cookies with better flavor and texture. It also prevents them from spreading too much during baking.
Look for Golden Edges
Unless the recipe says otherwise, the edges of the cookies should turn a golden brown while the center remains slightly soft. This balance ensures a chewy texture without overbaking.
Cool Before Transferring
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set and avoids them becoming too fragile and crumbling apart.
Remember, practicing and experimenting will help you perfect your cookie baking skills over time. Have fun and enjoy the process of creating delicious baked goods! Here’s what you’re going to need for these cotton candy cookies.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Corn starch
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Cotton candy extract – LorAnn Cotton Candy Super Strength Flavor
- Pink & blue gel food coloring – Chefmaster Liqua-gel, Neon Brite Pink and Royal Blue
Tools & Supplies
- Measuring cups and spoons of various sizes
- Mixing bowls of various sizes
- Electric mixer
- Spatula
- 1-tablespoon sized cookie scoop
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
And just FYI . . .
the type of extract used makes a big difference in this recipe. The cotton candy flavoring I use is LorAnn Cotton Candy Super Strength Flavor. It is a highly concentrated flavoring. One teaspoon in this recipe is enough to give a nice, but not overpowering, cotton candy flavor.
LorAnn Super Strength Flavor is typically four times as strong as regular baking extracts. If the flavoring you’re using isn’t super strength like this one, you may need to add a bit more than what the recipe calls for.
Keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They’ll last a few weeks in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to six months. When you bring them out of the freezer, let them rise to room temperature naturally as opposed to microwaving.
Get the printable recipe for these cookies below:
Cotton Candy Cookies
These cotton candy sugar cookies are perfect for a summer dessert, wedding, or even a gender reveal.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cotton candy extract
- Pink & blue gel food coloring
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on high until well mixed (about 1 minute).
- Beat the eggs, vanilla extract and cotton candy extract into the butter mixture until well mixed (about 30 seconds).
- On a low speed, beat in the dry ingredients. Don’t overmix – just mix until you no longer see dry ingredients that haven’t been mixed in with the wet ingredients.
- Separate the cookie dough evenly between two bowls. Color one bowl of dough pink and color the other bowl of dough blue.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add parchment paper to the baking sheets.
- Scoop dough out into one tablespoon scoops. Take a scoop of blue and a scoop of pink and put them together to make a half blue, half pink cookie. Use your hands to roll these together into a round ball, then place them onto a baking sheet.
- The cookies can be placed close to each other on the baking sheet in order to chill. Chill the dough for at least an hour before baking.
- Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and take some cookies out of the freezer and place on baking sheet. Cookies should be 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet.
- Bake each tray of cookies for 12 minutes or until cookie edges seem set. The middles of cookies will still look slightly wet and that’s okay!
- They’ll finish baking on the hot tray when they come out of the oven. After cookies have cooled for 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store cookies in a sealed food safe container at room temperature for 5-7 days or in freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
42Serving Size:
1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 100Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 59mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g
If you enjoyed this treat, please let me know in the comments! I’d also love for you to check out these other delightful cookie recipes:
Almond Flour Shortbread • Apple Pie • Apricot Dark Chocolate • Bacon Chocolate Chip • Brownie Chocolate Chip • Buckeye • Butterscotch Chocolate Chip • Butterscotch Popcorn • Caramel Apple • Chocolate Chip (Air Fryer) • Chocolate Chip Pudding • Chocolate Chip Sandwich • Chocolate Marshmallow • Chocolate Mint Sandwich • Chocolate Thumbprint • Christmas Linzer • Circus Animal • Easter M&M • Funfetti • Ginger Molasses • Halloween M&M • Heath Bar • Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint • Lemon Cream Cheese • Lemon Shortbread • Nutella Stuffed • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip • Paleo Shortbread • Peppermint Frosted • Peppermint Pudding • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip • Pumpkin Linzer • Pumpkin Sugar • Red Velvet Thumbprint • Reese’s Pieces • Ritz S’mores • Rolo • Santa Cookies • Shortbread Tea • Snickers • Vanilla • White Chocolate Cranberry