Description
These Crumbl cotton candy cookies are soft, fluffy, and bursting with a fun, sweet cotton candy flavor. Featuring a tender cookie base topped with colorful swirls of cotton candy buttercream frosting and finished with a crunchy pop of cotton candy pop rocks or strawberry grape nerds, these cookies are perfect for parties, celebrations, or anyone craving a playful twist on classic sugar cookies.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1/4 cup oil (vegetable oil or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
Cotton Candy Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened on the colder side)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (cold)
- 1 1/4 tsp cotton candy extract
- Pink gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
- Cotton candy pop rocks or strawberry grape nerds (for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, vegetable or canola oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and heavy cream to the creamed sugar and butter mixture until fully combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined without overworking the dough.
- Scoop Cookies: Using a large cookie scooper, portion out 8 equally sized cookie dough balls and place them evenly spaced on the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes until the edges are slightly golden but the centers remain soft. Remove from oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Cool Completely: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool fully before decorating to prevent melting of frosting.
- Prepare Cotton Candy Buttercream: In a clean mixing bowl, whip together the cold butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and cotton candy extract using a mixer until the frosting is light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Divide and Color Frosting: Separate the buttercream evenly into two small bowls. Tint one bowl with pink gel food coloring and the other with blue gel food coloring, mixing well until the colors are vibrant and even.
- Pipe Frosting: Place both colored frostings side-by-side into a large piping bag, ensuring that the blue color is on one side and pink on the other without mixing. Pipe swirled frosting atop each cooled cookie to create a fun, dual-colored swirl effect.
- Add Final Decoration: Sprinkle the top of each frosted cookie with cotton candy pop rocks or strawberry grape nerds for a playful, crunchy finish that complements the cotton candy flavor.
Notes
- Make sure the egg is at room temperature to help the dough mix smoothly and results in softer cookies.
- Do not overmix the flour into the wet ingredients to ensure the cookies remain tender and not tough.
- Use gel food coloring to avoid thinning the frosting consistency.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- For extra flavor, chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
