Name: Cotton Candy Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 32 cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened; 1 cup cotton candy sugar; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1/2 teaspoon salt

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This cotton candy cookie recipe is made with real cotton candy sugar, so it tastes just like real cotton candy! It's a recipe for cotton candy sugar cookies, and it keeps its shape beautifully when rolled out, cut into shapes, and baked.

Stack of cotton candy cookies in front of a container of pink cotton candy sugar.

I developed this recipe for my daughter's cotton candy themed birthday party last year. I adapted my favorite cut out sugar cookie recipe, and instead of using regular sugar, used flavored, colored, real cotton candy sugar in the recipe.

Cotton candy cookies baked on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

The result? Perfectly pink (and blue, and purple) sugar cookies, flavored just like your favorite fluffy cotton candy.

Ingredients for cotton candy sugar cookies on a white marble surface.

Cotton Candy Cookies Recipe:

3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup cotton candy sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cotton candy cookie dough wrapped in plastic cling wrap on a white marble table.

How to Make Cotton Candy Sugar Cookies:

Cream the cotton candy sugar and butter together.

Add the egg and beat to combine.

Add the baking powder, salt, and vanilla, and beat to combine.

Add the flour, and mix just until combined to make a firm, but not crumbly cookie dough.

Cotton candy sugar cookie dough rolled out and cut into cotton candy shapes.

Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8" thickness and cut out the cookie shapes. I made some cotton candy cookies that both looked and tasted like cotton candy for the cotton candy party.

Cotton candy cookie dough being cut into heart shapes.

This recipe also made lovely, perfectly pink heart cookies for Valentine's day this year.

Unbaked cotton candy cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stack of pink cotton candy cookies.

With my regular sugar cookie recipe, I don't mind if the edges start to turn golden, but with these pink cookies, I wanted the color to be perfect, so I watched carefully and took the cookies from the oven before they started to brown.

Cotton candy cookies being decorated with marbleized pink, blue, and purple royal icing.

I decorated some of my cookies using my favorite easy marbleized icing technique, using a white base and blue, pink, and purple pastel royal icing (the colors of classic cotton candy, of course).

Cotton candy cookies decorated with marbleized pink, blue, and lavender royal icing.

Aren't they dreamy? I love making marbled decorated sugar cookies.

A pastel rainbow of royal icing in a white bowl for making marbleized royal icing decorated sugar cookies.

I made a pastel rainbow version as well. I love rainbows, and I already had the icing mixed up for another project.

Cotton candy sugar cookies decorated with a pastel rainbow of marbleized royal icing.

I think I like them better without the sprinkles. Or maybe I should have chosen other sprinkles. What do you think would have looked good?

Cotton Candy Cookies decorated with royal icing, next to cones of cotton candy.

The cookies for the actual cotton candy party were shaped like cotton candy cones. I ran out of time to decorate them myself and let my daughters be in charge of doing that. I think they are lovely, and my girls loved being part of the party prep, but it's not exactly what I'd imagined. I'm looking forward to making these again when I have more time and can try to create the vision I had in mind!