Circus Circus Cotton Candy Pizza

I was invited by the fun folks at Vegas.com to create a pizza recipe for the upcoming International Pizza Expo, which is the largest pizza show in the world, held yearly in Las Vegas. The challenge was to create a unique pizza inspired by one of the many fabulous Las Vegas Hotels.  If you've been lucky enough to visit Las Vegas, then you know finding creative inspiration is no problem.  The Vegas.com website was my first stop.  There you can find information and book shows, hotels, tours and more.  Wanna see a show while you're in Las Vegas?  Well there's everything from Britney Spears to Zombie Burlesque.  You can book the Bright Lights Big City Tour and enjoy the view of the gorgeous lights from a bright pink Jeep!  There's even a Walking Gourmet Food Tour.  That has my name written all over it  You know how much I love to do dessert.  And Las Vegas does over the top desserts like no one else.  From King Kong Sundaes with 16 scoops of ice cream to Cupcake ATM machines that dispense cupcakes, Las Vegas has every indulgence you can imagine.  So it should come as no surprise to you that I opted to create a dessert pizza.  My inspiration?  The Circus Circus Hotel and Casino.  What comes to mind when you think of the circus?  Cotton Candy of course.  It's the quintessential circus treat.  I envisioned a sweet cookie pizza topped with mounds of fluffy pink sugar floss, sprinkles like confetti and animal crackers of course.  Don't forget the popcorn and peanuts either.  This pizza is a bright as the Las Vegas lights, as sweet as winning on the black jack tables and as pink as the roller coaster inside the Adventuredome at Circus Circus

Cotton Candy Pizza
Inspired by:  Circus Circus Hotel

Here's the sign that helped me channel my inner
Willy Wonka.  Complete with giant lollipop!

Speaking of Willy Wonka, How this for some
"pizza toppings"???

The ultimate in Circus Food:
Pink cotton candy, circus peanuts, animal crackers, and popcorn

Here's that pink coaster at Circus Circus.
As pink as cotton candy!

To get started, you'll want to make the sugar cookie crust.

After it cools, frost with ooey gooey
homemade buttercream frosting.

Check out that "pizza crust"

Now comes the best part:
Decorating.
Think Las Vegas.  Think over to top.  Think indulgent.
There's no such thing as too many pizza toppings
when it comes to Las Vegas.

Slice and Serve.
Wouldn't this be fabulous for a circus-themed party?
Or a slumber party full of screaming girls that
love candy and anything pink?

Sprinkles.  Extra Sprinkles. 
It's like confetti sprinkled on the plate.

Enjoy a little taste of the Circus Circus Experience...
Check out all the delicious pizzas, including
this one at:
https://blog.vegas.com/las-vegas-dining/international-pizza-expo-in-vegas-inspires-hotel-themed-pizza-recipes-64118/

Circus Circus Cotton Candy Pizza


Sugar Cookie Crust:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Buttercream Frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
3 cups powdered sugar (or more)
3-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or more)

Pizza Toppings:
cotton candy
sprinkles
circus peanuts
popcorn
frosted animal crackers
giant lollipops

Optional:
food coloring
flavor extract
additional candy

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.  With an electric mixer, cream together sugar, brown sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend until creamy and smooth.  In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add this mixture to the sugar mixture.  Mix well and pat dough into prepared pizza pan.  Bake approximately 17-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely before frosting. 

With an electric mixer combine the three sticks of unsalted butter and powdered sugar.  Add whipping cream a little at a time until you achieve the desired consistency for frosting. 

Take 1/3 of the frosting and spread onto the cooled cookie pizza.  Place remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star top and pipe little icing stars to create crust edge all around the pan.  Sprinkle carefully with small multi-colored sprinkles. 

Take the animal crackers and stand them up around the edge of the pizza.  I alternated between pink and white.  You can't have a circus without elephants and camels and lions oh my!

Pull the cotton candy apart to make it fluffy and start mounding it on the pizza.  Pile it on. This of this as the "cheese" on your pizza.  It's the base for all of those delicious toppings...

Now comes the best part.  Add sprinkles and candy and cookies and unicorn sparkles and anything else bright and glitzy that you can think of.  Don't leave off the popcorn.  The combination of this over the top sweet pizza and a bite of salty popcorn is amazing!

Slice and serve.  Pretend you're in fabulous Las Vegas enjoying one of the high-flying acrobatic acts at the Circus Circus Hotel!

Prep Time:  Approximately 1 hour     Cook Time:  Approximately 20 minutes


I had an absolute blast working on this project.  Thank you Vegas.com for the opportunity.  Be sure and visit their website as well as downloading their app.  Vegas.com is a destination-specific online travel agency.  You can find information here for everything from attractions (Mob Museum!) to wedding venue ideas.  If it has anything to do with Vegas, this is the place to find it.