About Cotton Candy Unicorn Party Parfaits
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but unicorn recipes are all the rage right now. Whether it’s for unicorn hot chocolate or unicorn bark or unicorn dip, people are crazy about rainbow colored unicorn desserts. I can only assume this means that somewhere in the world there’s a unicorn party going on that I haven’t been invited to.
But out of all fun sweets I’ve seen, do you know what seemed to be missing from the edible rainbow arsenal?
Unicorn parfaits.
And, well, we couldn’t have that, now could we! I was more than happy to bridge the gap and whip up some pastel perfection in a glass.
From what I’ve seen, most of the unicorn party desserts out there tend to be made with various forms of chocolate, but you know what?
I’m a rebel. In fact, I dare say I’m a culinary pioneer astride a mystical steed.
So, naturally, I decided to go against the grain and make these unicorn parfaits cotton candy flavor.
(You guys, I’m clearly having way too much fun with this).
Usually I’m not a fan of fad food crazes, but this recipe was simply too fun to pass up. And better yet, it looks as though this unicorn craze won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
And, really, why should it? It’d be hard to eat a dessert as colorful as this one and not feel happy, even if just for a moment.
These parfaits are light and easy to eat, but also very sweet, making them ideal for the spring/summer season or any kid parties. Plus, you can customize this unicorn parfait further by picking different sprinkles, food coloring, and sparkle gel.
Parfaits are supposed to be a fun and easy dessert, so go crazy with it!
It’s what a unicorn would do.
notes & tips for this unicorn recipe
- You can use any assortment of decoration for this unicorn dessert, but here is the full list of what I used: pink sparkle gel, neon food coloring, star sprinkles, white pearl sprinkles, blue pearl sprinkles, and pink pearl sprinkles. I also picked out a few horseshoe and rainbow marshmallows from a box of Lucky Charms cereal.
- And for the cotton candy flavor, don’t forget the cotton candy syrup!
- I couldn’t find a link to the exact glasses I used, but these were close: sparkling wine goblets OR high wine goblets.
- Whipping homemade cream can sometimes be tricky, so I always recommend you use cream that is extremely fresh (just opened for the first time) and that it is very chilled. Either wait to remove it from the refrigerator until just before you’re ready to whip OR you can set the cream in the freezer for 15 minutes before use. I’ve also heard of people freezing their whisk attachments or mixing bowls, especially if your bowl is metal, glass, or porcelain. Every little bit helps!
- For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This isn’t a recipe you can make by hand with a whisk.
- For crumbling the Oroes, you can use food processor OR put the Oroes in a Ziploc bag (gallon sized) and use a meat tenderizer or a standard rolling pin to hit and crush the cookies. If you’re using the second method, I like to put a wood cutting board underneath the bag so I don’t crack or damage my countertops.
- If you like cotton candy flavor, be sure to check out my recipe for Cotton Candy Ice Cream!
- If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, I also have a recipe for Game of Thrones Party Parfaits! I used the same glasses for them as these unicorn party parfaits.
Recipe Details
Cotton Candy Unicorn Party Parfaits
Ride the rainbow craze with this unicorn party dessert made with cotton candy flavor whipped cream, crushed golden Oreos, and Lucky Charms marshmallows.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Using a food processor (or a Ziploc bag (gallon sized) + rolling pin or meat tenderizer), crush the golden Oreo cookies into crumbles, then set aside.
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Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), add in chilled heavy cream, cotton candy syrup, and powdered sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes.
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Divide cream into four even parts, then set one part aside. For the 3 remaining parts of cream, add neon food coloring (to do as pictured, use pink, purple, and blue) and mix until desired color is reached. See above video for an example. Add the 4 parts of cream into separate pastry bags with decorative tips (or plastic bags with the corner cut out) and set aside.
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Prepare two plates: For the first, pour a few tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles. For the second, squeeze some pink sparkle gel in the middle of the plate. Using your chosen serving glasses, roll the rim of the glass in the pink sparkle gel, then roll it in the sprinkles. When the rim of the glass is decorated, set aside and move on to the next glass.
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To assemble parfaits: Layer crumbled Oreos and cotton candy cream as desired. Top parfaits with rainbow sprinkles, Lucky Charm marshmallows, and more pink sprinkle gel.
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Serve parfaits immediately. Parfaits can also be made up to 4 hours in advance. If you'd like to make parfaits the day before, prepare all individual parts (crushed Oroes, cotton candy cream, decorated glasses) and store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
so.much.FUN!!! where do you get cotton candy syrup? Did I miss it? amazon? Your site is so darn cute by the way. Was it redone recently or do I just have a bad memory??
Hey Karen! Thank you for catching that, I was supposed to link the syrup – adding that in right now 😀 And I made the site design last August, but it got a mini facelift recently. That’s probably what you’re seeing 😀 And thanks!
Would it be safe to add cream cheese to the heavy cream?
Hey Sylvia! You could whip the cream cheese and heavy whipping cream separately, and then carefully fold & mix them together with a spatula. I do something similar in a video with this dip: https://homemadehooplah.com/churro-cheesecake-dip/
My granddaughter requested this for her half birthday! How many servings (in large wine/stemmed water glasses) will it make?
Thank you so much!
These are both adorable and delicious! Perfect for parties!
My daughter loves unicorns, so these were perfect for her party! Thank you so much for such a cute idea!!