

When I heard that Kristan of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen was having a birthday today, I immediately wanted to help celebrate! I’ve been a long-time fan of her creative desserts, not to mention her hilarious point of view and true-to-life anecdotes. Yes, she’s smart and funny, but above all- she’s as sweet as her confections. I deeply admire the openness she has with her readers, and even though we’ve never met in person, I consider her a friend!
Kristan loves all things pink and sparkly (helloo, a kindred spirit!), so I created these glittering pink cotton candy meringues for her special day. They are just as easy to make as standard meringues! Just swap out the granulated sugar for finely ground cotton candy sugar. They are melt-on-your-tongue delicious, and much more stable than cotton candy, which will melt away before your very eyes!

Be sure to check out all of Kristan’s birthday party fare at the following sites:
Happy Birthday Kristan! Hope your day is special!
Note: Lots of you are asking where to buy cotton candy granules. You can find them online –Amazon sells them in various sizes and variety packs– restaurant supply stores are a good place to look -or your local party rental store may have some if they rent cotton candy machines.
Cotton Candy Meringues
Approximately 36 cookies [click for printable version]
2 egg whites, at room
temperature
Pinch of cream of
tartar
1/2 cup finely ground
cotton candy granules
*Note: Grind cotton
candy granules in a food processor until slightly powdery.
- Preheat the oven to
170°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Fit a large pastry bag with a large French
piping tip. - Place the egg
whites in a spotlessly clean bowl and whip them with an electric mixer on medium
speed until frothy. - Stop the mixer and
add the cream of tartar. Start the mixer again and continue to beat the egg
whites. - Once the egg whites
form soft peaks, increase the speed to high and gradually add the cotton candy sugar, a
little at a time. - Beat the egg whites
until they are very shiny and hold stiff peaks but are not dry or crumbly,
about 7 minutes. - To make sure the
sugar has completely dissolved, rub a bit of the meringue between two fingers
to see if any granules of sugar remain. If grains are present, continue to beat
the meringue until the sugar has fully dissolved. - Spoon the meringue
into the pastry bag and pipe onto the prepared cookie sheets. Meringue can also
be dolloped onto parchment by heaping spoonfuls if you have no piping bags or
decorator tips. - Bake the meringues
for 90 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking time to ensure even
cooking. - When the meringues
are done, turn off the oven and let them stand in the closed oven for several hours
or overnight. The meringues should be hard and dry to the touch, and you should
be able to easily lift them from the parchment.
*Disco dust is sold at cake specialty shops and online. If using, sprinkle a little on before baking.

heather, these are GORGEOUS!!!!
please please please make me some for my birthday too 🙂
You send me your address Heather, and I will do it!!
xo!
Disco dust and cotton candy granules — could there EXIST a better idea?!
So lovely!! You are so nice to cook these cute meringues for her 🙂 My birthday is in June… ;P
These are soo pretty! I love the extra sparkle you gave them!
Sooo pretty and dreamlike! What a great gift and wonderful idea.
Cheers,
Rosa
Yummm! I love meringues…especially pink ones. And the glitter only makes them even better! Cotton candy meringues sound amazing, and they're dressed up perfectly for Kristan. 🙂
Heather, these are BEYOND perfect. I am just speechless this morning. So so grateful to know you. Thank you for making my morning!!!!!!
what girl would not love sparkly pink meringues for her birthday. How pretty and thoughtful!
These are perfect! How did you get your disco dust to show up in the picture? I had disco dust on my cupcakes but it didn't show up for some reason.
Those are too cute. Sparkly and pink, gotta love it.
Aww so nice! These are absolutely lovely!
These are way too cute. I haven't had a meringue in the longest time!
Love your website, I just started my own and yours is a huge inspiration for me. Check mine out if you don't mind, I'd love to get your opinion on it.
So, so perfect for Kristan!!! These, like everything you do, are gorgeous!
What perfectly beautiful little treats for Kristan! Lovin' the sparkle!
very beautiful ^_^
wow! eye candy and I bet tasty too!
completely brilliant!
Ooohhh, contemplating ideas for my sweet almost-seven year old's Pinkalicious b-day party… THIS one wins! 😀 <3
Beautiful!!!! I love the pink!!
I will be letting you know in advance of my birthday, lol. These look adorable and tasty.
These really are perfect for Kristan's birthday and just so pretty!
These are perfect for the Cookbook Queen! Pink & Sparkly :). Such a great idea to add Cotton Candy flavor to meringues. Lovely dessert!
Gorgeous! Your photography and decorations are awesome, as always!
I love love cotton candy. I'd ask to go to the circus just to eat cotton candy as a kid. These are perfect!
This are so brilliant! My son asked me to make meringues for his birthday, of all things. Cotton Candy meringues would be an extra awesome treat!
Beautiful… you are so talented I can't believe these are actually real. Your skills are amazing! Great job!
xo. A Southern Bee Diary
🙂
love! my husband loves cotton candy, so i will have to make these for him (well, and myself of course). is cotton candy granules easy to find?
Heather! I love these! Besides being the perfect color, they are cotton candy flavored! You had a genius moment with that! These are absolutely beautiful!
So pretty! I did not know you can buy cotton candy sugar.
Beautiful! I have no other words!
Gorgeous 🙂
You are one talented woman – both in cooking and in photography. STUNNING!
🙂
Valerie
These look so pretty and sparkley! I've never heard of cotton candy granules, but now I feel that it is my missionto hunt them down to make these because I love cotton candy flavored things (cotton candy Dum Dums = LOVE)
So pretty!!! I love the sparkly pink meringues with the black and white ribbon…very Parisian 🙂
Oh my goodness these look delicious, Heather! I love them even more knowing they're for Kristan. She's a sweetie pie that deserves all this pink sparkly sweetness.
you are a food artist! i so love looking at your blog- i still haven't gotten up the nerve to try anything yet because your perfection is intimidating… but there's a someday!
these are GORGEOUS…just like everything else you make 🙂
http://woodstockwardrobe.com/
These are perfect for Kristan. Petite, Pink, and Sparkly! They are really a beautiful little treat.
SOOOOO gorgeous!!!!! They are all just so perfect and the disco dust is the magic finishing touch!
I want you as a friend! I would be over-the-moon happy if someone made these for me. I love them.
What a fabulous idea! LOVE it
so beautiful … pink and sparkly <3
what tip do you use ?
This is SUCH a good idea – your meringues are absolutely perfect! Love the addition of cotton candy and the gorgeous pink colour.
Happy Birthday to Kristan. How adorable are those ! I have a Birthday coming in May Heather 🙂
Help! these look fabulous and I would love to make these for someone special. However, I am not sure what is meant by cotton candy granules? Can someone explain? Thank you!
These are absolutely gorgeous! Happy Birthday to sweet (and damn funny) Kristan.
These are just adorable! I'm in love!
These are so pretty and dainty and cute and I LOVE THEM!!