Irresistible Red Velvet Cookies with Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting: Your Ultimate Guide
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Prepare to be amazed by these incredibly delicious Red Velvet Cookies topped with a smooth and luscious Cream Cheese Frosting! Imagine sinking your teeth into a thick, soft cookie with perfectly crisp edges, bursting with that signature red velvet flavor, all crowned with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting. These festive treats are an absolute showstopper, making them ideal for celebrating Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or any special occasion where you want to impress with a touch of elegance and irresistible taste. They offer all the beloved flavors of a classic red velvet cake, perfectly packaged in a delightful, handheld cookie form.
Creating these Red Velvet Cookies is not only incredibly rewarding but also surprisingly easy. The recipe is designed for simplicity, allowing even novice bakers to achieve bakery-quality results. Each bite delivers a harmonious blend of subtle cocoa, vanilla, and a hint of tang from the cream cheese, reminiscent of your favorite red velvet cake but with the added joy of a chewy cookie texture. Their vibrant red hue and elegant frosting make them a visually stunning dessert, guaranteed to capture attention and delight every guest. Whether you’re planning a romantic gesture for Valentine’s Day, preparing for a festive holiday gathering, or simply craving a sophisticated treat, these cookies are a perfect choice.
If you’re looking for more delightful cookie creations to explore, be sure to try our Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Cookies for a bright and zesty experience, our sophisticated Tiramisu Cookies for a taste of Italy, or even classic Red Velvet Cupcakes if you’re in the mood for the cake version.
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WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RED VELVET COOKIE RECIPE
- Effortless Preparation: This recipe stands out for its straightforward approach. The cookie dough comes together beautifully in just one bowl, minimizing cleanup and making it an excellent choice for a quick yet impressive dessert. No complicated techniques or specialized equipment are required, ensuring a smooth baking experience from start to finish.
- Iconic Red Velvet Flavor: Each bite of these generously sized and soft cookies delivers the beloved, complex taste of a classic red velvet cake. The subtle cocoa notes, combined with a hint of vanilla and the distinct red hue, create an authentic flavor profile that’s both comforting and luxurious. The texture is perfectly chewy on the inside with just the right amount of crispness at the edges.
- Decadent Cream Cheese Topping: What’s red velvet without its signature frosting? These cookies are generously adorned with a silky-smooth cream cheese frosting, providing the perfect tangy counterpoint to the sweet, rich cookies. This creamy topping elevates the entire experience, delivering a harmonious balance of flavors and a beautiful finish that makes these cookies truly special.
KEY INGREDIENTS FOR PERFECT RED VELVET COOKIES
Understanding the role of each ingredient is key to achieving perfect Red Velvet Cookies. Below are some of the essential components for this recipe. For a complete and detailed list of all ingredients and precise measurements, please refer to the recipe card further down this page.
- Butter: We start with melted butter, which contributes to the cookies’ chewy texture and rich flavor. It can be melted gently in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat, ensuring it doesn’t bubble or brown. Allowing it to cool to room temperature before combining with other ingredients is crucial to prevent scrambling the egg. Both salted and unsalted butter work; if using salted, you might slightly reduce the added salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: Beyond sweetness, granulated sugar plays a vital role in the cookie dough’s moisture content. It helps create that desirable soft and chewy texture by retaining moisture and contributing to the slight crispness of the cookie edges as it caramelizes during baking.
- Brown Sugar: The addition of brown sugar introduces a deeper, molasses-rich flavor and enhances the chewiness of the cookies. Its hygroscopic nature (ability to attract and hold moisture) helps keep the cookies soft and moist long after baking, complementing the granulated sugar beautifully.
- Cream Cheese: For the frosting, full-fat cream cheese is essential. It provides the signature tangy flavor that perfectly balances the sweetness of the cookies and creates an incredibly smooth, luxurious, and pipeable frosting texture. Ensure it’s at room temperature for easy blending.
- Vanilla Extract & Vanilla Bean Paste: For the best and most authentic flavor, we highly recommend using pure vanilla extract in the cookie dough. In the frosting, vanilla bean paste is a wonderful addition, offering a more intense vanilla flavor and those beautiful little specks of vanilla bean that elevate the appearance and taste.
- Cocoa Powder: To achieve the iconic deep red color and subtle chocolate flavor of red velvet, a high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder is recommended. Dutch-processed cocoa is less acidic than natural cocoa, resulting in a smoother, milder chocolate taste and a darker base that helps the red food coloring truly pop. Brands like Valrhona or Ghirardelli are excellent choices.
- All-Purpose Flour: This forms the structural base of our cookies. Proper measurement, ideally by weight, prevents a tough or dry cookie.
- Red Gel Food Coloring: This is what gives red velvet its characteristic vibrant color. Gel food coloring is preferred over liquid coloring as it provides a more intense hue without adding excess moisture to the dough.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents work in combination to give the cookies their perfect lift and soft texture. Baking soda reacts with the acidic cocoa powder (even Dutch-processed has some residual acidity) and other ingredients to create a tender crumb.
- Salt: A small amount of salt enhances all the other flavors, balancing the sweetness and making the chocolate notes more prominent.
EASY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO BAKING RED VELVET COOKIES
Creating these magnificent Red Velvet Cookies is a straightforward process, and you won’t even need an electric mixer for the cookie dough! All you’ll require are two large bowls, a whisk, and a spatula. Follow these steps for perfect results every time.
The comprehensive recipe with exact measurements is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
STEP 1: Prepare the Melted Butter. Begin by melting your butter. You can do this quickly in the microwave in short bursts or gently in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. The key is to melt it completely without letting it bubble excessively, as this can evaporate some of the liquid. Once melted, pour the butter into a large mixing bowl and transfer it to the fridge to cool down to room temperature. This usually takes about 20 minutes; cooling the butter prevents it from cooking the egg when added later.
STEP 2: Combine Wet Ingredients for Color and Flavor. After the butter has cooled to room temperature, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vibrant red gel food coloring to the same bowl. Using a whisk, vigorously whisk the mixture together for about 1 minute until well combined and beautifully colored. If you prefer, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment can be used for this step, mixing on medium speed.
STEP 3: Introduce Egg, Vanilla, and Dry Ingredients. Form and Chill the Dough. Crack in the egg and add the vanilla extract to your wet mixture. Mix until everything is just combined. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Using a spatula, mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix, which can lead to tough cookies. Once the dough forms, use a 2 tbsp (approx. 56g per cookie) cookie scoop to portion out 11 uniform cookies. Roll each portion between your hands to form a smooth ball and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. This chilling step is crucial for flavor development and preventing excessive spreading during baking, so refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
While your cookie dough is chilling, take this time to preheat your oven to 180ºC (355ºF) in a conventional oven setting. Ensure your oven is fully preheated for even baking.
STEP 4: Bake the Cookies to Perfection. Once the dough is adequately chilled and the oven is preheated, arrange 6 cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space between them for spreading. Place the remaining 5 cookie balls back in the fridge to keep them chilled until it’s their turn to bake. Bake one tray at a time for 10-11 minutes. The cookies will look slightly underdone in the center, but the edges should be set. As they cool, they might have a slight puff in the middle; gently press it down with the back of a spoon to create a flatter surface for frosting. Let them cool on the baking tray for 3 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent them from breaking.
STEP 5: Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting Base. While the cookies cool, begin making the irresistible cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream the room-temperature butter on high speed for about 5 minutes until it’s visibly light, fluffy, and pale in color. This aeration is crucial for a smooth frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl midway through to ensure even creaming.
STEP 6: Add Cream Cheese, Vanilla, and Powdered Sugar to Frosting. Next, add the full-fat cream cheese and vanilla bean paste to the creamed butter. Continue to cream the mixture together for another 1-2 minutes until it’s smooth and well combined. Finally, add the sifted powdered sugar in two parts on low speed, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding the next. This prevents a cloud of sugar and ensures a lump-free frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time and give it a final mix for 1 minute on medium speed until the frosting is perfectly smooth and creamy. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your desired piping tip (e.g., Wilton 2A) and pipe beautiful swirls of cream cheese frosting on top of each cooled cookie, starting from the center and moving outwards. For an extra festive touch, you can add red sprinkles. Your delicious Red Velvet Cookies are now ready to be enjoyed!
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR RED VELVET COOKIE PERFECTION
- Achieve Precision with a Kitchen Scale: Baking is often described as a science, and precision is paramount for consistent results. While cup measurements can vary, weighing your ingredients in grams using a kitchen scale is the most accurate method. Our recipes default to grams for this very reason, ensuring you get the exact proportions needed for perfect texture and flavor every time. Investing in a good kitchen scale will dramatically improve your baking success.
- Avoid Overmixing Your Batter: Once the dry ingredients are added to the wet, it’s crucial to mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, dense cookies rather than the soft and chewy texture we’re aiming for. After using a whisk or mixer, always finish with a spatula for one final gentle fold. This ensures all ingredients from the bottom and sides of the bowl are fully incorporated without overworking the dough.
- The Impact of Baking Pan Color: The type of baking pan you use can significantly affect the outcome of your cookies. For the best, most evenly baked cookies with a soft interior, opt for an aluminum baking pan. These lighter-colored pans reflect heat, resulting in a more gentle bake that promotes a soft crumb and prevents over-browning. Darker baking pans absorb more heat, which can lead to a darker, crispier crust and potentially a drier cookie interior. Always line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy release and even heat distribution.
- Ensure Ingredients are at Room Temperature: This tip is especially vital for the frosting. Butter and cream cheese at room temperature cream together smoothly, creating a light, airy, and lump-free frosting. Cold ingredients won’t emulsify properly, leading to a lumpy or curdled texture. For cookies, room temperature butter incorporates better into sugars, resulting in a more tender crumb.
- Don’t Skip the Chilling Time: The 1-hour chilling period for the cookie dough isn’t just for convenience; it’s essential for the final texture and flavor. Chilling allows the fats to firm up, preventing the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. More importantly, it gives the flour time to fully hydrate and the flavors to meld, resulting in a richer taste and a wonderfully chewy, thick cookie.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RED VELVET COOKIES
Absolutely! Preparing the cookie dough in advance is a fantastic way to streamline your baking process. Simply scoop the cookie dough into balls as instructed, place them on a parchment-lined tray, and then transfer them to an airtight container or cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Store these cookie balls in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake, follow the instructions in the recipe card for baking the chilled cookies and then prepare the fresh cream cheese frosting just before serving for the best taste and texture.
Yes, freezing the cookie dough is an excellent option for future cravings! Once you’ve scooped the dough into individual balls, arrange them on a baking sheet and flash freeze them for about an hour until solid. Then, transfer the frozen cookie balls to a freezer-safe airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. You can store them in the freezer for up to 30 days. When you’re ready to bake, allow the cookie balls to thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking them as instructed in the recipe. This method provides fresh-baked cookies with minimal effort whenever you desire.
HOW TO STORE YOUR RED VELVET COOKIES
To maintain the freshness and creamy texture of the frosting, it’s crucial to store your Red Velvet Cookies correctly. Place the frosted cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. If you need to stack them, place a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent the frosting from sticking. Store the container in the fridge. These cookies are best enjoyed within 1-2 days of baking to ensure the frosting remains at its prime consistency and the cookies retain their soft chewiness. Always bring them to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before serving for optimal flavor and texture.
Other Irresistible Cookie Recipes To Try
- Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- 25 Best Summer Dessert Ideas
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- 20 Best Easter Dessert Ideas
If you adored this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW below! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats to share your delightful creations. For more baking inspiration and ideas, be sure to follow me on Pinterest!
Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Equipment
- Cookie scoops
Ingredients
RED VELVET COOKIES
- 110 g butter melted and cooled (½ cup)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 100 g brown sugar (½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring or vegan food coloring
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 230 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g dutch process cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 120 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 60 g full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 220 g powdered sugar sifted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it’s recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
RED VELVET COOKIES
- Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan over low heat until fully liquid, being careful not to let it bubble and lose moisture. Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl and refrigerate for about 20 minutes until it cools to room temperature.110 g butter
- Once the butter is at room temperature, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and red gel food coloring. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute until well combined and vibrant. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.100 g granulated sugar, 100 g brown sugar, ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring or vegan food coloring
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the mixture and mix until just combined.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently mix with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.230 g all-purpose flour, 10 g dutch process cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Using a 2 tbsp (approx. 56 g) cookie scoop, portion out 11 cookies onto a tray lined with baking paper. Roll each portion into a smooth ball between your hands. Place the formed cookies in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 1 hour.
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 180ºC (355ºF) conventional. Place 6 chilled cookies on a lined baking sheet, ensuring adequate spacing. Keep the remaining 5 cookies refrigerated. Bake one tray at a time for 10-11 minutes.
- After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 3 minutes. If they have puffed up in the center, gently press them down with the back of a spoon to create a flatter surface for frosting.
- Carefully transfer the slightly cooled cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before starting to allow them to reach room temperature. Cut the butter into small cubes and sift the powdered sugar.220 g powdered sugar sifted, 120 g unsalted butter
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream the room-temperature butter on high speed for 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix for another 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and cream cheese to the butter mixture. Cream them together for 1 minute until smooth and well combined.60 g full-fat cream cheese, ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. On low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar in two parts, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding more. Once all sugar is added, scrape the bowl and mix on medium speed for a final minute until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your desired piping tip (e.g., Wilton 2A). Pipe the cream cheese frosting onto the completely cooled cookies in a beautiful swirl, starting from the middle and working your way outwards. Optionally, top with red sprinkles for extra flair. Serve and enjoy!