While some recipes for red velvet might give you a fleeting taste of chocolate, I believe in more than just a hint. I’ve amplified the chocolate factor, saturating these cookies with an intense trio: rich cocoa powder, generous morsels of semisweet chocolate, and a dash of coffee to deepen that chocolatey allure.
But there’s more – these crimson-hued marvels don’t stop at a plain red velvet chocolate chip cookie. They envelop a zesty-sweet cream cheese frosting and are topped with an optional elegant drizzle of creamy white chocolate. Simply put, these red velvet sandwich cookies aren’t just desserts; they’re showstoppers, primed to captivate the spotlight at any event! For more cookie recipes, check out my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe, easy cake mix cookies, or thumbprint cookie recipe next!
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Cocoa powder — I typically prefer using Dutch-process cocoa powder for a more intense chocolate flavor without the bitterness. That said, natural unsweetened cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, or even raw cacao powder can also be used.
Baking soda & baking powder — you’ll need both raising agents to achieve the perfect fluffy cake-like texture.
Hot brewed coffee — adding coffee to any chocolate desserts magically helps to make them taste more chocolatey. Using hot coffee helps “bloom” the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor even further.
Red food coloring — for that classic red velvet cake appearance! You can use gel food coloring if possible.
Semisweet chocolate chips — I wanted an added boost of chocolatey goodness, so a smattering of chocolate chunks throughout these stuffed red velvet cookies seemed like a no-brainer. Feel free to swap in dark, milk, or white chocolate chips if you prefer!
Cream cheese — one of my favorite parts of red velvet treats is the tangy cream cheese frosting. Skip the low-fat or non-fat cream cheeses, which are loaded with artificial stabilizers.
Powdered sugar — this ingredient is essential for a perfectly smooth and luscious frosting filling. If you’re fresh out, blitz granulated white sugar in a food processor with cornstarch or potato starch in a ratio of 1 cup to 1 tablespoon.
White chocolate chips — while the white chocolate drizzle is an optional finishing touch, it definitely adds pizazz.
How To Make Red Velvet Cookies
1. Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl then whisk together and set aside.
2. Beat the unsalted butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl then mix once more.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture on low speed and mix until almost combined. Add the coffee and food coloring and mix until distributed.
4. Scrape the bowl down one last time and then fold in the chocolate chips. Chill dough for 30 minutes of more.
5. Roll approximately 2 tablespoon-sized portions of dough into balls. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on a parchment paper or silicon-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.
6. While the cookies are baking make some cream cheese frosting! Cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese together then beat in the powdered sugar. You can add milk or cream a tablespoon at a time to thin the consistency out if needed.
7. Once the cookies have cooled you can pipe the cream cheese frosting on and sandwich them together, with the cookie bottoms facing inwards.
8. Microwave white chocolate in a small bowl in 30-second intervals until smooth (about 3 times). Spoon melted white chocolate into a ziploc plastic bag. Snip the corner off the bag, and drizzle cookies as desired. Freeze cookies for about 15 minutes to let chocolate set.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use quality ingredients. Invest in high-quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips. The better the quality, the richer the flavor you’ll get out of this red velvet cookie recipe.
- Opt for gel-based food coloring over liquid food coloring. It’s more concentrated, meaning you’ll get that vibrant red without adding too much liquid to your dough.
- To avoid cookies that spread too much, chill your dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This solidifies the fat, resulting in a thicker, softer cookie.
- Room temperature ingredients are essential for perfectly creamy frosting. When making the cream cheese frosting, ensure the cream cheese and butter are well softened. This ensures a silky, lump-free texture.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on your sheets to prevent the cookies from sticking and ensure even baking.
- Don’t overbake! Red velvet cookies should be soft, so keep a close eye towards the end of baking. They may look slightly underbaked when they come out, but they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Cool completely. Before sandwiching them with the cream cheese frosting, let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. This prevents the frosting from melting into the cookie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red velvet has a delightful taste that’s a bit of a culinary magic trick! It’s a delicious blend of rich, but somewhat mild chocolate flavors paired with a slight tanginess from the cream cheese frosting. The combination creates a unique and irresistible flavor profile that’s neither fully chocolate nor fully vanilla. It’s a sweet, velvety, and wonderfully unique taste that really stands out in the dessert world!
Sounds like you were a bit shy with the red food coloring. I’d suggest adding more to your next batch or swapping in gel food coloring, which is more potent than liquid.
These red velvet cream cheese cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container on your counter at room temperature for about 2-3 days. But, with the cream cheese frosting, it’s a good idea to pop them in the fridge after the first day. They’ll stay yummy in there for up to a week.
If you’ve baked a big batch and can’t finish them within the first few days, freeze them, using parchment paper to separate any layers. They’ll be good for a few months in the freezer. Just remember to let them thaw a bit before diving in. Enjoy!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Red Velvet Cookie recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Red Velvet Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10mL)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon hot brewed coffee (15mL)
- 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring (15mL)
- ¾ cup chopped semisweet chocolate chips (130g)
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened, (340g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted, (100g)
- 2 tablespoon milk or heavy cream (30mL)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (150g)
Instructions
- Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl then whisk together and set aside.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed until just combined.
- Add coffee and red food coloring until evenly combined. (do not overbeat).
- Fold in 1 cup chopped chocolate.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
- Scoop dough using a 1 tablespoon scoop; gently roll between your hands to make smooth balls. Place dough balls on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350° until edges are firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Let cool on pan 10 minutes; transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in milk or heavy cream, if desired.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon filling onto bottom sides of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies, bottom-sides down.
- Microwave white chocolate in a small bowl in 30-second intervals until smooth (about 3 times).
- Spoon melted white chocolate into a ziploc plastic bag. Snip the corner off the bag, and drizzle cookies as desired. Freeze cookies for about 15 minutes to let chocolate set.
Notes
- Use quality ingredients. Invest in high-quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips. The better the quality, the richer the flavor you’ll get out of this red velvet cookie recipe.
- Opt for gel-based food coloring over liquid food coloring. It’s more concentrated, meaning you’ll get that vibrant red without adding too much liquid to your dough.
- To avoid cookies that spread too much, chill your dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This solidifies the fat, resulting in a thicker, softer cookie.
- Room temperature ingredients are essential for perfectly creamy frosting. When making the cream cheese frosting, ensure the cream cheese and butter are well softened. This ensures a silky, lump-free texture.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on your sheets to prevent the cookies from sticking and ensure even baking.
- Don’t overbake! Red velvet cookies should be soft, so keep a close eye towards the end of baking. They may look slightly underbaked when they come out, but they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Cool completely. Before sandwiching them with the cream cheese frosting, let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. This prevents the frosting from melting into the cookie.
Hello John,
Is softened butter better than melted butter in making cookies? Thanks! 🙂
Hi John,
Why in the cookie dough there is no vinegar while in the cake it is? Thanks
So perfectly chewy and mega delicious. As simple as that. Thank you John!
Made these last weekend and they were divine! 😍💯🎉 Instead of making it a sandwich cookie, I used White chocolate chips for decorating ‘em 😊
The cookies taste delicious!I’ve used a scale to measure all my ingredients but the cookies won’t harden. What am I doing wrong?
Just made these cookies yesterday and they came PERFECT, the hint of chocolate with the res velvet was amazing.
TOTALLY LOVE THIS RECIPE AND ALL THE RECIPE YOU MADE. thank you so much John!!
Finally got around to making these. Insanely good, of course! One note: #5 says 1 cup chocolate, ingredients had 3/4, I went with 3/4 and they were perfect. John, you did it again… everything you post is gold!
Can this frosting be used for cakes?
it can, also have a cream cheese frosting recipe you can check out.