Red Velvet Cookies
One of our good friend is celebrating a milestone birthday next weekend and I’ve been tasked to supply the cake. I was told he wanted a red velvet cake for his birthday and so I did some research for red velvet cake recipes. During my search, I stumbled across this Red Velvet Cookies recipe and was quickly reminded of how I had a cream cheese filled Red Velvet Cookie before at Tim Hortons back when they had their red velvet feature promo. I was enticed and since I already stocked up on red food coloring – I figured I would give these a try.
I actually tested several variations of these cookies to see which one I liked best. Here were the combinations I tried:
- Normal Red Velvet Cookie
- Red Velvet Cookie with Cream Cheese Filling
- Red Velvet Cookie with White Chocolate Chip (mixed in)
Out of all the combinations I tried, I must say I enjoyed the one with Cream Cheese Filling the most. Then again, I have a sweet tooth so I might be biased 🙂 For those looking for something less sweet, the normal one tastes just as good! The one with white chocolate chip mixed in offers a great texture as well.
Once you’ve prepared the cookie dough as instructed in the recipe below, you’ll end up with a very vibrant red dough. Here’s how mine looked like after adding about 1 tsp red food coloring gel.
You can stop here and bake this as is if you want the normal red velvet cookie. If you’re interested in trying the version with the cream cheese filling (which I highly recommend), please refer to my Gingerbread Cookie Bars recipe for the Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. Make sure it is semi frozen before using as it will be easier to incorporate into the cookie dough prior to baking.
First, take a small piece of cookie dough (~1/2 tbsp) and roll it into a ball. Press it down flat and using your thumb, add a small divit in the middle of the cookie dough. Add a small dollop of the cream cheese frosting.
Then, take another 1/2 tbsp of cookie dough and press it over top of the cookie to conceal the cream cheese frosting/filling, pressing around the edge of the cookie to seal it. You shouldn’t be able to really see the cream cheese filling at this point.
Bake at 350F for approximately 11 minutes or until crinkly at the top. Allow to cool and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also enjoy this Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
Red Velvet Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp buttermilk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tbsp red food coloring (I used gel coloring)
Instructions
- 1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- 2. Using stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy (~3 mins). Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl occasionally.
- 3. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined and creamy, (~5 mins) Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Once mixed, add the food coloring and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl occasionally to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- 4. Reduce mixer speed to slow and slowly pour in the dry ingredients in batches of thirds. Beat until a very soft dough is formed. You can add in your food coloring here until you achieve your desired color.
- 5. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour – do not skip this step!
- 6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a thick cookie sheet with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- 7. Scoop a large heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place them on the baking sheet(s) and bake for 11-12 minutes. You can tell they’re near ready when they start to crinkle/break at the top.
- 8. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Credit: Sally’s Baking Addiction
