First things first, I preheat my oven to 350°F (175°C), then I grab a couple of baking sheets and line them with parchment paper so cleanup is easy later.

I toss the softened butter and sugar into my stand mixer and let it run on medium for a couple of minutes once the mixture turns pale and airy, I know it’s good to go.

In a separate little bowl, I whisk the egg with buttermilk and a touch of cotton candy flavoring until it’s nice and silky. Then, with my mixer on low, I slowly drizzle it into the fluffy butter-sugar mix so everything blends together smoothly. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of your bowl, trust me, it helps everything mix evenly.

In a new bowl, I toss together the flour, a bit of baking soda, baking powder, and just a pinch of salt. this is the base that gives the cookies their structure and rise. Then I add those into the wet mix little by little, still mixing on low, just until everything comes together. If the dough seems too dry, I add a bit more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time, until it scoops easily.

Now for the fun part, I split the dough evenly into two bowls. I add a drop of pink food coloring to one and use a spoon (or sometimes just my fingers) to blend it until it’s a soft pink. I do the same with blue coloring in the other bowl.

Once both colors are ready, I gently swirl them together in one bowl. I’m super careful here, I want a marbled look, not one solid color.

Using my trusty scoop (about an inch and a half wide), I drop mounds of dough onto the baking tray, making sure there’s a couple of inches between each one so they have room to spread. Then, using the palm of my hand, I gently flatten each ball to around 2.5 inches wide.

I bake them for 6 minutes. but I always keep an eye on them. If the edges haven’t started browning yet, I give them another 2– 5 minutes.Once they’re out of the oven, I leave the cookies on the baking tray for about 5 to 10 minutes to settle before gently shifting them over to a cooling rack.

While the cookies cool, I get started on my buttercream. I beat softened butter in my stand mixer for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Next, I gradually mix the powdered sugar into the butter on low speed. After everything’s combined, I crank up the mixer and let it whip for a couple of minutes until the texture turns light and airy.

I add a few drops of cotton candy flavoring and give it one final whip on high for a minute to really bring out the flavor.

Next, I divide the frosting between two bowls. I tint one pink and the other blue, stirring each until the colors are nice and even.

Now for the fun part, assembling. I scoop spoonfuls of the colored buttercream into a piping bag, alternating pink and blue to create a swirled effect. I use a large round piping tip (like a No. 8B).

I flip over half of the cookies and pipe a swirl of buttercream starting from the center and working my way out, leaving a bit of space around the edge.

Finally, I top each frosted cookie with another one, gently pressing to make the perfect sandwich. I pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes so they firm up. You can store them in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. but mine never last that long.