Brilliantly crimson red and adorned in white, there is no mistaking Red Velvet when you see it. It's as distinct as it is delicious, and the cookie rendition is no exception. Red Velvet Cookies are a thick, soft, cake-like cookie, with a light cocoa flavor and a hint of tang thanks to cream cheese swirling throughout the batter.

Dip your cookies in white melted candy wafers for a fun and festive touch. These gorgeous treats make wonderful heartfelt gifts, and are perfect for serving at both Christmastime and Valentine's Day!

Love Red Velvet? Add these Red Velvet Brownies to your baking lineup!

WHAT IS RED VELVET MADE OF?

Red Velvet is a happy medium for extreme chocolate lovers and those willing to merely tolerate it. The flavor of Red Velvet has cocoa driven undertones with just a hint of tang. Most Red Velvet Cake recipes call for buttermilk, which adds acidity to baked goods. However, the addition of buttermilk doesn’t really make all that much sense in cookie dough, and as you'll see below, this is where the cream cheese comes in.

RED VELVET COOKIES INGREDIENTS

Flour - Be sure to use only all-purpose flour.
Cocoa Powder - Red Velvet is teasingly chocolate, with just a hint of cocoa flavor. The cocoa powder also lends to the deep, red coloring of the cookie. We used Hershey's Dutch Cocoa Powder for this recipe.
Baking Soda - Baking soda and baking powder are not interchangeable. Be sure to use baking soda for your Red Velvet Cookies.
Unsalted Butter - Use only unsalted butter and that it is at room temperature before you begin.
Cream Cheese - Red Velvet is hopelessly incomplete without that signature tangy flavor. Typically it's buttermilk adds this quality to the batter of Red Velvet Cake, but buttermilk doesn't really make sense for a cookie recipe. Cream cheese, on the other hand, does. Note, your cream cheese should also be at room temperature before you begin incorporating it into the batter.
Sugar - For these Red Velvet Cookies, you'll be using both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Each type of sugar lends its own flavor and impacts on the texture of the cookie.
Large Eggs - You will need 2 large eggs for these cookies.
Salt - Salt is a very important ingredient when it comes to desserts, adding balance and bringing out flavors. The best salt for baking is fine sea salt.
Vanilla Extract - For best results, always choose pure vanilla extract over the imitation stuff.
Red Food Coloring - If you're just in it for taste, red food coloring is completely optional. However, if you want your Red Velvet Cookies to pop with a bright red hue, you'll need to have a couple of teaspoons on stand by.
Chocolate Chips - For a more pronounced chocolatey flavor, use semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you'd like the Red Velvet flavor to shine a little brighter, we suggest going with white chocolate chips.
Candy Melting Wafers - If you'd like to make your Red Velvet Cookies a little extra, dip them in melted candy wafers! Candy wafers are much easier to work with than real chocolate, however, many brands out there are lacking in quality. To ensure the prettiest, tastiest results, go with Ghirardelli's White Chocolate Melting Wafers. You can typically find melting wafers in the baking aisle of your grocery store, as well as in specialty craft stores (e.g. Michael's).

If this is your kind of recipe, you have to try our Red Velvet Cake!

HOW TO MAKE RED VELVET COOKIES

Mix Dry Ingredients - In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
Combine Butter and Cream Cheese - Before you begin mixing all of the wet ingredients, you'll want to make sure your butter and cream cheese mixture is completely smooth and combined. In a large bowl, combine the two together over medium-high speed until homogenous.
Add Remaining Wet Ingredients - To make sure your Red Velvet Cookies are lusciously thick and sit up tall, you'll add both of the sugars to the butter/cream cheese mixture and cream together until the mixture has lightened in color. This process should take about 3 minutes. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla, the red food coloring, and mix again.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients - Add the dry ingredients and with the mixer still on low, mix just until combined. Then add the chocolate chips and mix once more.
Scoop and Bake - Scoop heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough on to the cookie sheet and press down ever-so-slightly to flatten. Make sure you leave space between each cookie so they do not bake together, and bake for 10 minutes.
Melt, Dip, and Decorate - Wait until your Red Velvet Cookies have completely cooled, then melt the wafers according to package instructions. If you have a microwave-safe, 2-cup measuring pitcher, use it for melting your chocolates! The narrow shape makes dipping much easier. Then, finely crumble 2 baked cookies, using your hands or a mini food processor. Ready your work surface with a large sheet of wax paper. Dip half of each cookie in the melted wafers and be sure to let any excess drip off. Then, lay the cookie on the wax paper, and sprinkle with crumbs.

RED VELVET COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE

If you are a fan of Red Velvet, you're likely also a fan of Cream Cheese Frosting. Lucky for us, with this cookie recipe, you can have your cream cheese and eat it too.

Cream cheese incorporated into the batter of these Red Velvet Cookies makes them extra soft, cake-like, and tidbit tangy, but if you just can't get enough cream cheese flavor, feel free to omit dipping them in chocolate, and ice them with Cream Cheese Frosting like we did to these dreamy Red Velvet Brownies.

You could also leave out the cookie crumbles and opt for festive sprinkles instead.

HOW TO STORE RED VELVET COOKIES

If you are storing dipped Red Velvet Cookies, wait until they have completely set, and then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days.

If you plan to frost the cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, they'll need to be refrigerated. Take note, if you're concerned with appearances, you should wait until serving time to add the icing. Stacking and storing frosted cookies can be a pain.

HOW TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES

If you’d like to preserve your cookies longer, place them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag, taking care to press out any excess air from the bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. You could also freeze them in a freezer-safe, airtight storage container, just be sure the container fits the cookies snugly and there is not a ton of room for air to circulate around them.

5 MORE COOKIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

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Chocolate Crinkles have a fudgy, melty interior loaded with chocolate chips. Perfect for any and all chocolate lovers.
Ginger Molasses Cookies with warm and cozy spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are perfect for sharing during the holidays!
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are part cookie sandwich, part cupcake, and 100% uniquely delicious dessert!
Peanut Butter Cookies are easy to make, taking less than 15 minutes to whip up, require zero chill time in the fridge, and yield perfect cookies every time...without fail!

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