If you love red velvet cake, you've got to try making these Red Velvet Cookies too! These cookies are filled with a rich chocolate ganache, have a delicious red velvet cookie base, and are topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting, making them the ultimate decadent cookies you'll ever have tried in your kitchen.
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Why This Recipe Works
- These soft and chewy red velvet cookies are so much more than just the visual appeal. Their rich chocolate flavor and the cream cheese frosting are a match made in heaven.
- Making red velvet cookies may seem like a lot of work and effort, but it actually isn't all that complicated.
- You'll need just under half an hour of prep time to get everything together, and your cookies will be ready before you know it.
🥘 Ingredients
You'll need 3 sets of ingredients to make these red velvet cookies with cream cheese frosting.
- Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed: Creates the rich, buttery texture of the cookies and prevents excessive spreading during baking by staying cold.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Provides a deep, rich chocolate flavor that contrasts beautifully with the sweet frosting.
- White Chocolate Chips And Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips: Add a delightful chocolatey surprise in each bite, with their contrasting flavors adding depth to the cookies.
- Heavy Cream: Creates a smooth, velvety texture in the ganache, balancing the bittersweet chocolate's intensity.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
- Chocolate Chips: You can experiment with the recipe and try out different variations using different chocolate chips. I love using white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips ,and dark chocolate chips.
- Drizzle: If you don't have cream cheese, but still want a bit of that white drizzle on the cookies. you can simply use some melted white chocolate chips to do the trick.
🔪 How To Make Red Velvet Cookies
Got all your ingredients ready? Here's what you'll need to do to make red velvet cookies.
Step One: To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan add the cream, and heat over medium heat. Bring the cream to a boil. Once you reach a boil reduce the heat to low, and stir the cream.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Step Two: Preheat oven to 410° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside.
Step Three: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cubed cold butter and the sugar, on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium to high and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy, Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the red food coloring, and mix on low until incorporated.
Step Four: In a large bowl add the baking soda, cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder, cake flour and all-purpose our, whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix until incorporated. Add both types of chocolate chips on low speed and using a stand mixer, mix until incorporated.
Refrigerate uncovered for 20 minutes to chill. Using a digital cooking scale or a large cookie scoop measure out 4 ounces of dough, forming it into a ball. Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step Five: Use the palm of your hand to press down on the cookie slightly, so that the cookie dough ball creates a thin disk. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the chocolate ganache and place it on half of the cookie dough.
Step Six: Take the second dough ball and place it on top of the dough ball with the ganache. Roll the dough together to form a ball. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet.
Step Seven: Bake in the center rack of the oven for 8-11 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes on the baking sheets.
Step Eight: Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully combined. Add the vanilla and heavy cream, if needed. Place the frosting in a Ziploc bag and snip the corner of the bag. Drizzle the frosting on top of the itchy cookie and garnish with white chocolate shavings
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Quality Ingredients: Make sure you use the best quality cocoa powder and food coloring to make these cookies. Natural cocoa powder is the best choice, because it really makes all the difference, and lends the cookies that classic red velvet cake flavor.
- Sugar: To lend these cookies some extra flavor, you can use light brown sugar instead of white sugar that the recipe calls for. The caramel-like flavor of the brown sugar complements the creaminess of the white chocolate beautifully.
- Use A Wire Rack: The best way to let the cookies cool is to transfer them to a wire rack a few minutes after they're out of the oven. You can also choose to let them stay on the prepared baking sheet if you want to, but that'll cause the cookies to become dry and crumbly.
- Cold Butter: Remember to use cold butter, and not melted butter to make these cookies. You can choose to use salted butter or unsalted butter- it all depends on your personal preference.
- Baking Mat: If you don't fancy prepping the cookie sheets, you can also choose to use silicone baking mats. This will cut down your need of placing the parchment paper on your baking sheets too.
💭 FAQs
I've used gel food coloring to give the cookies that bright red color, but you could also use some beet powder if you want to stick to using healthier ingredients.
Regardless of what you choose, remember that red food coloring is an absolute must for this recipe, especially if you want the cookies to have that bright red color- just the cocoa powder won't cut it.
🧂Serving Suggestions
- With a Glass of Milk: Serve these decadent red velvet cookies alongside a tall glass of cold milk to enhance the creaminess of the cream cheese frosting and complement the rich chocolate ganache.
- As Part of a Dessert Platter: Arrange these cookies with other festive treats like chocolate truffles or mini cupcakes to create an indulgent dessert platter perfect for holidays or special occasions.
- Topped with Extra Frosting: Add a little extra cream cheese frosting on top of each cookie for a richer, more indulgent treat, or drizzle with melted white chocolate for an extra touch of sweetness.
- For Gift Giving: Package these cookies in a decorative tin or gift box with a festive ribbon to make a thoughtful and delicious gift for friends, family, or coworkers.
🍽 Related Recipes
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Red Velvet Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Mixture
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter cubed
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs room temp
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoon Red Liquid Food Coloring
- ½ cup Cocoa Powder Unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Cake Flour
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups white Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 9 oz Bittersweet Chocolate roughly chopped
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 tablespoon Butter Unsalted
- 3 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ tablespoon Heavy Cream
Garnish
- ½ cup White Chocolate Shavings garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Chocolate Ganache: To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan add the cream, and heat over medium heat. Bring the cream to a boil. Once you reach a boil reduce the heat to low, and stir the cream.
- Let Cool in the Refrigerator: Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Prep the Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 410° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cubed cold butter and the sugar, on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium to high and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy, Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add Eggs and Food Coloring: Add in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the red food coloring, and mix on low until incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients and Chocolate Chips: In a large bowl add the baking soda, cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder, cake flour and all-purpose our, whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix until incorporated. Add both types of chocolate chips on low speed and using a stand mixer, mix until incorporated.
- Refrigerate and Make Red Velvet Cookie Dough Balls: Refrigerate uncovered for 20 minutes to chill. Using a digital cooking scale or a large cookie scoop measure out 4 ounces of dough, forming it into a ball. Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Add Chocolate Ganache to the Dough Balls: Use the palm of your hand to press down on the cookie slightly, so that the cookie dough ball creates a thin disk. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the chocolate ganache and place it on half of the cookie dough.
- Place Cookie Dough Balls on the Baking Sheet: Take the second dough ball and place it on top of the dough ball with the ganache. Roll the dough together to form a ball. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet.
- Bake and Cool Completely: Bake in the center rack of the oven for 8-11 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at LEAST 30 minutes on the baking sheets
- For the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully combined. Add the vanilla and heavy cream, if needed.
- Drizzle Over the Cooled Cookies: Place the frosting in a Ziploc bag and snip the corner of the bag. Drizzle the frosting on top of the itchy cookie and garnish with white chocolate shavings
Notes
Nutrition
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If you enjoyed making these rich and dreamy red velvet cookies, you've got to try some more of these cookie recipes as well.
These Red Velvet Cookies are pure chocolatey bliss! That gooey ganache center and cream cheese frosting combo is chef’s kiss. Let me know if you bake a batch!