Cotton Candy Swirl Cookies

Ingredients

• 2.75 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1.5 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp almond extract
• pink food coloring (Use enough to color one portion of dough pink.)
• blue food coloring (Use enough to color one portion of dough blue.)
• cotton candy flavoring (Optional; add with the egg and extracts. Amount not specified.)
• sprinkles (Optional; press onto the tops of the cookies before baking. Amount not specified.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. 2

   Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a bowl. Whisk until evenly combined, then set the dry mixture aside.

3. 3

   Beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

4. 4

   Add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and optional cotton candy flavoring to the butter mixture. Beat until smooth.

5. 5

   Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.

6. 6

   Divide the dough into two equal portions. Add pink food coloring to one portion and blue food coloring to the other, mixing each until evenly colored.

7. 7

   Take a small amount of each colored dough, about 1 tablespoon of each. Press the two portions together, roll them into a ball, and slightly flatten the ball into a disk so the colors form swirls.

8. 8

   If using sprinkles, press them onto the tops of the dough disks.

9. 9

   Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

10. 10

    Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are set while the centers remain slightly soft.

11. 11

    Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

The recipe yields approximately 24 cookies. The amounts of food coloring, cotton candy flavoring, and sprinkles are not specified; add them according to the desired color, flavor, and decoration.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cookies
• baking
• American
• vegetarian
• kid-friendly
• festive
• holiday