How to Make Baked Cotton Mushrooms

I hope you’re sitting down for this one. I’m going to be baking!! Shocker right!!? If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you’ll know that the oven and me will never be friends. That thing does not like me. Whatever I put inside always comes out rock-hard and inedible. But I’m okay with that, especially since that’s exactly what I wanted to achieve when I made these adorable baked cotton mushrooms.

And in typical “Michelle v.s. Oven” fashion, they’re not edible. They do make the cutest addition to a fairy garden, and because they’re so light, you can use them as ornaments too. But before I show you how easy it is to make these baked cotton mushrooms, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!

What You Need

  • Roll of cotton (large cotton balls work too)
  • Wire
  • Flour & water
  • A baking pan

See how clean and shiny mine is. Yup, it’s never been used. Oven – 1: Michelle – 0.

You’ll also need some acrylic paint, twigs from the garden, glue, aluminum foil, a mixing bowl, and some wire.

How to Make Baked Cotton Mushrooms

Cut the wire into pieces about 12.5 cm (5″) long. Bend the wire to form a stable “base” at the bottom. The wire helps the mushroom keep its shape and makes it easier when you bake them later.

Grab a piece of cotton from your roll and pull it apart lengthwise to make a thin strip. If you’re using cotton balls, unroll them to form long strips. Start at the top and slowly wind the cotton strip around the wire, working your way down towards the bottom.

Try to wind the cotton strip as tight as possible. When you reach the bottom, wind the cotton strip up toward the top of the wire, smoothing and twisting as you go.

Grab another piece of cotton and place it about 1/3 of the way down. Use your finger to hold it in place and wrap the cotton towards the bottom.

Make a small loop at the top of the wire if you plan to use your baked cotton mushrooms as ornaments. Continue adding layers of cotton until you’re happy with the shape of your mushroom.

You can really get creative and make all kinds of cool shapes by bending the wire or adding more cotton. Once you’re happy, mix up equal quantities of flour and water to form a runny paste.

Stir well to get rid of any lumps. Drizzle the mushroom with the water and flour mixture.

You can use the back of a spoon to gently squish the mixture into the cotton and get rid of any bumps or wrinkles. And don’t forget to coat the bottom of the mushroom with the paste too ;-)

Baking the Cotton Mushrooms

Scrunch up bits of aluminum foil to form balls and place them in your baking pan.

Drape the mushroom shapes over the foil before placing them inside the oven. Bake on low for about an hour or until they’re hard. Let the cotton mushrooms cool down a bit before carefully removing the foil.

Take that, you silly oven. Michelle – 1: Oven – 0

Okay, time to get creative. Glue a few twigs or sticks to the bottom of the cotton mushrooms and paint the tops with acrylic paint. To make the dots, simply dip a pinhead into white paint and dot them all over. 

If you want to use the mushrooms in a fairy garden, be sure to give them a few coats of a clear outdoor sealer to protect them. Or you can use this curly-top mushroom tutorial to make mushrooms that will last outside.

Don’t you just love their weird and wacky shapes? They look good grouped together …….

Or on their own.

And I love the way the flour mixture forms almost natural-looking gills underneath the mushrooms.

And since they’re really light, they make super cool ornaments too. Mine are going to stay in our fairy garden for a bit. 

If you like the idea of making baked cotton mushrooms, don’t forget to pin it for later.

Oh, and before I forget. If you’re looking for some of the things I used to make baked cotton mushrooms, I’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a very small commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft ideas for you ;-)

Or if you prefer to buy rather than DIY……

Sale

Until next time, I hope you have a beautiful, creative week. Love as always

Last update on 2026-04-15 / Source Amazon Affiliates

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41 comments

Teri April 11, 2023 - 1:12 am
Hi Michelle, so glad I discovered your site with these adorable baked cotton mushrooms. I'm wondering if you can provide a pic of the wire part. I'm not sure how you shaped it to get the pattern for these mushroom tops. Thanks much, Teri
acraftymix April 11, 2023 - 8:20 am
I'm so glad you found us to Teri. Let me dig into the photos and see if I have one that's a little clearer
acraftymix April 11, 2023 - 11:25 am
I found some photos that show the wire a little better. I hope it helps, Teri. And thanks again for letting me know.
Susan August 19, 2019 - 1:09 pm
I LOVE these mushrooms and the fact that they are made from cotton is amazing. I can't wait to try making them myself. I was wondering if the brand and type (I noticed the picture was of wheat) of flour matters and when you say to cook it on low temperature, what temperature is that?
acraftymix August 19, 2019 - 1:48 pm
Oh my Susan, I wish I knew how to answer your first question. I'm a terrible cook and I wouldn't know the difference between wheat flour and any other kind of flour if it smacked me in the face ? I didn't even know you got different types. So sorry. I can help out with the low temperature though. They were cooked at 50 degrees Celsius, which google tells me is 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lirtea October 30, 2018 - 9:02 am
Quedaron ideales. Saludos
acraftymix October 30, 2018 - 10:11 am
Muchas gracias Lola ?
Christina Makri October 29, 2018 - 2:45 pm
How cute!!! But the most important for me is that you always think the "impossible". All these ideas !!! Speechless as always!
acraftymix October 29, 2018 - 3:28 pm
Thank you so very much Christina, I really appreciate that
Carolann October 29, 2018 - 2:37 pm
I absolutely love them! Your creative genius never ceases to amaze me! Cute as can be!
acraftymix October 29, 2018 - 2:46 pm
? Thank you Carolann
Claire October 27, 2018 - 7:35 pm
You are so creative. And those mushrooms are sooo soo cute !
acraftymix October 28, 2018 - 4:21 am
Thank you Claire and congrats on your big win. So well deserved
Laura Ingalls Gunn October 27, 2018 - 3:23 pm
What a truly cute and clever project!
acraftymix October 28, 2018 - 4:19 am
Thanks so much Laura ?
Jas - All that's Jas October 26, 2018 - 10:15 pm
First, I knew right away this was your project. You, my friend, have a recognizable style. Second, I'm so proud of you, you almost baked a bread! LOL Just omit the cotton the next time, ha! ;) Baby steps... Btw, these are super duper adorable!!! xx
acraftymix October 27, 2018 - 4:40 am
? Ha, you see, visiting your delicious blog does pay off ? I still have a long way to go through, most of the bread I make can be used as bricks for building houses
Leanna October 24, 2018 - 2:30 am
Where do you come up with these ideas? I can see using cotton as a base but then bake them. I actually rolled my eyes when you said time to get creative lol. You gobsmack me with your brilliant creativity. Fantastic as always, of course, I love them.
acraftymix October 24, 2018 - 6:18 am
Thank you so much Leanna ?
Maria October 24, 2018 - 12:30 am
Wow you had a successful oven experience. They turned out so charming and they look real even thought they are red.
acraftymix October 24, 2018 - 3:55 am
Yup, this time round I showed that oven who's boss ?
Katrin October 23, 2018 - 5:55 pm
Seriously? Baking cotton?? That could only come from your clever creative mind!! IN LOVE with these wacky mushrooms Michelle, they are adorable and they'd look lovely as ornaments as well!!
acraftymix October 24, 2018 - 4:05 am
? Thanks so much Katrin, baking cotton is loads of fun and you can make so many interesting things too
Sam - Raggedy Bits October 23, 2018 - 3:36 am
Well blow me down with a feather! I've never heard of baked cotton!! You never cease to amaze me Michelle with your creative cleverness!! I'm so sorry to hear that you and your oven aren't friends.... but you sure have aced it in the baked cotton department!! #nailedit ??
acraftymix October 23, 2018 - 7:14 am
Me and that oven just don't see eye to eye ? but I'm happy with how these turned out and they're loads of fun to make too
Linda at Mixed Kreations October 22, 2018 - 8:14 pm
Michelle you just amaze me with all your wacky creative ideas. Who would of ever thought of baking cotton? Only you! These mushrooms are amazing, and so cute! You have to have the happiest garden fairies around.
acraftymix October 23, 2018 - 7:11 am
Wacky is good right ?
Marie InteriorFrugalista October 22, 2018 - 7:48 pm
The Queen of Fairy Gardens does it again! Seriously, I never in a million years would think, hum lets see, I'm going to make mushrooms from cotton balls! You never cease to amaze me with your creativity, Michelle. I like the idea of making them into ornaments too - perfect for the gardeners in our lives :)
acraftymix October 23, 2018 - 7:10 am
Thanks so much Marie but the fairies made me do it ?
Evija October 22, 2018 - 3:38 pm
Bake cotton?? OMG you are so clever!!! Love these cute mushrooms, and love how original and 'think outside the box' your project really is..
acraftymix October 22, 2018 - 4:05 pm
Thanks so much Evija and I'm super glad you're part of the IBC too. Can't wait to see more of the things you'll be doing
Mary October 22, 2018 - 1:19 pm
Michelle not in a million years would I have believed you can bake cotton! I learn so much from your blog! The mushrooms are truly adorable and you would never know they had humble origins as cotton and flour clay! They also make a pretty addition to your fairy garden!
acraftymix October 22, 2018 - 1:45 pm
What!!? No one else bakes cotton. Isn't that what ovens are for ? Thanks so much Mary, I think I might just have to make a small little gnome to keep them company
Pili October 22, 2018 - 10:45 am
You made me laugh so hard with your oven battle but after those gorgeous mushrooms, you deserve at least 10 points. They look lovely in that bright red against all that green from the garden. I would love to make some with my daughters for our pots because we don't have a proper garden.
acraftymix October 22, 2018 - 11:26 am
YES!!!! If I can get 10 points for this one then I'll almost have that oven beat ? I think your girls will love making these Pili and if some of the mushrooms don't work the way you want them too, you can always throw them against the wall. They're like little mushroom bombs that explode and leave cotton wool behind ?
Pili October 22, 2018 - 3:39 pm
If I show your reply to them they will be praying for me to fail, that way they will have an excuse to have cotton flying all over the place.
acraftymix October 22, 2018 - 4:03 pm
I love the way your daughters think Pili ? Can I come help mess some mushrooms up for you?
Merle October 22, 2018 - 10:24 am
You always manage to mess with my mind ? How!!!? Everyone else has done a normal project with cotton and then you go and turn it all upside down and bake your cotton to make mushrooms ? that's so different and really cool ?
acraftymix October 22, 2018 - 10:35 am
? LOL Merle, thanks so much ?
Julia @ Vintage with Laces October 22, 2018 - 9:45 am
Baked cotton mushrooms? This is such an amazing idea only you can come up with, Michelle! They're so cute!!! I'm sure your oven was very happy with the result as well. ;)
acraftymix October 22, 2018 - 10:37 am
? Thanks Julia, but it's going take a lot more than baked cotton mushrooms to make me like that oven of ours ?
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