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Cotton Candy Cheesecake Parfaits Everyone Will Love

Cotton Candy Cheesecake Parfaits

These no-bake parfaits feature layers of buttery graham cracker crumbs, pastel cotton-candy cheesecake filling, and fresh cotton candy. They make 6 cheerful individual desserts and are best garnished immediately before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 minute
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Graham Cracker Layer
  • 1 1/2 cups Graham-cracker crumbs
  • 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
  • 8 ounces Full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup Confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Cotton-candy flavoring or cotton-candy extract
  • 8 ounces Whipped topping, thawed
Coloring and Garnish
  • As needed Pink gel food coloring
  • As needed Blue gel food coloring
  • 2 to 3 cups Prepared cotton candy

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Combine the graham-cracker crumbs and melted butter until all the crumbs are evenly moistened. Reserve about 2 tablespoons for a finishing sprinkle, if desired.
  2. Beat the softened cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and lump-free. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so the mixture has an even texture.
  3. Beat in the vanilla extract and cotton-candy flavoring. Add the flavoring gradually if your brand is especially concentrated.
  4. Fold in the thawed whipped topping gently, using a spatula and a light hand to keep the cheesecake mixture fluffy.
  5. Divide the cheesecake mixture between two bowls. Tint one portion pink and the other blue with very small amounts of gel food coloring.
  6. Place a layer of graham cracker crumbs in each 6- to 8-ounce serving glass. Add alternating spoonfuls or piped layers of the pink and blue cheesecake mixtures, adding small pieces of cotton candy between layers if desired.
  7. Refrigerate the assembled parfaits for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, so the filling can firm. Add fresh cotton candy immediately before serving.

Notes

Use room-temperature cream cheese for the smoothest filling. Gel food coloring gives bright pastel shades without thinning the mixture. Keep cotton candy away from moisture until serving because humidity and contact with the cheesecake filling cause it to dissolve quickly.