Red Hot Cookies are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and they have a great cinnamon flavor too! They are the perfect Valentine's Day cookies or just because, let me show you how easy they are to make!
Red Hot Cookies are a genuine favorite of mine! I was skeptical at first but I love the great cinnamon flavor, the crunch of coarse sugar, and the sparkly look of the crushed Red Hots throughout the cookies.
I also love that they're such a great color, I can make them for Valentine's Day, birthdays, or during the holiday season, and they always look the part!
One of my favorite things about these cookies now is that my granddaughter loves making them with me too. Kids will love crushing the candies in a bag with a rolling pin and rolling the dough in sugar too!
For more delicious Valentine's Day cookie ideas try my Root Beer Cookies, these Classic Swig Sugar Cookies, or these super simple Sugar Cookie Bars with Pink Frosting that are perfect for a Valentine's Day party!
Shopping List
Made with super simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry. See the recipe card below for amounts.
Wet Ingredients. Butter, Vanilla Extract, Egg, Vegetable Oil
Dry Ingredients. All Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar
Candies. Red Hot Candies, Coarse Sugar (Optional)
How to Make Red Hot Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.
Cream together the Butter and Granulated Sugar in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the large bowl of a stand mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be light and fluffy.
Next, mix in the Egg and Vanilla Extract then add the Vegetable Oil and Powdered Sugar. Continue to cream together for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Gradually add the remaining dry ingredients until fully combined.
Crush the Red Hot Candies by placing them in a Ziploc bag and bash the bag until the candies are in small pieces. Alternatively, you can blend them in a food processor if you prefer.
Make sure to leave some larger pieces as well as tiny ones. Don't turn it all to dust. The candies when baked will give great texture and a slight crunch.
Next, stir the crushed candies into the cookie dough mix with a wooden spoon.
Scoop the cookie dough using a medium size #50 cookie scoop.
Dip the tops of the cookie dough into coarse sugar or granulated sugar. This is purely optional but a fun way to crisp the outside of this tasty cookie treat.
Place the coated cookie dough balls on the baking sheet that has been lined with nonstick cooking spray, silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes, until the edges are set. Do not over bake.
I like to encourage a test batch with one or two cookies. To test the temperature of your oven and the baking time. Every oven bakes just a little bit differently.
Allow the cookies to cool for a minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage & Freezing
Storage: Store in a sealed container for up to 7 days. These cookies are best enjoyed within 2-3 days.
Freezing: Cookies can be stored in a sealed container or Ziploc bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Place parchment paper between each cookie to prevent sticking.
Substitutions & Variations
- Crinkle Cookies. Make Red Hot Crinkle Cookies by flattening the cookie dough before you bake it. Flatten with the bottom of a glass that has been covered in coarse sugar to prevent it from sticking to the dough. This should form cracked crinkled edges around the cookie.
- Chocolate Chips. Add some white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips to the cookie dough to make Chocolate Red Hot Cookies. Alternatively, you can drizzle some melted chocolate over the cookies once they have cooled for a fancy finish.
- Red Hots. Put some pieces of whole Red Hots candies on top of the finished cookie if you wish, or even some more crushed Red Hots candy to give it extra color, flavor, and texture.
- Candies. While I think Red Hots are the best option of candy for a strong cinnamon flavor in these cookies, using another type of candy like M&Ms, Peppermints, or Reeces Pieces is a great way to adapt this recipe for a different flavor.
- Serving. Serve these cookies with a glass of milk, and present the cookies on a dessert table with a small bowl of red hots next to them like in the photos.
Pro Tips
What makes a good cookie? Does it have a soft center and crispy edges, and is it chewy? Each of these makes a great quality cookie. To make perfect cookies every time here are some pro tips.
To find out more, check out my Pro Tips Guide for making the best cookies every time!
Weighing Ingredients.
Baking is a science and adding too much or too little of any of the ingredients will alter the recipe. Weighing and measuring dry ingredients properly makes a world of difference. Investing in a kitchen scale is ideal. When a kitchen scale is not available, make sure to stir and lift ingredients before scooping them into a measuring cup.
| Volume | Ounces | Grams | |
| All Purpose Flour | 1 Cup | 4½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Bread Flour | 1 Cup | 4½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 Cup | 7 Ounces | 200 Grams |
| Brown Sugar | 1 Cup | 7½ Ounces | 213 Grams |
| Confectionary Sugar | 1 Cup | 4 Ounces | 113 Grams |
Cookie Scoop.
Using a cookie scoop keeps each ball of cookie dough the same size, which is essential for baking. I have used a medium cookie scoop in these photos.
Baking Sheets.
You can use an ungreased cookie sheet if you prefer. I like to use Parchment Paper to line baking sheets or a Silicone Mat for easy cleanup.
Baking Time.
Every oven heats a little differently. I recommend doing a test batch of 1-3 cookies to test the baking time for a perfectly baked cookie before baking the remaining dough.
Cookies.
Cookies are perfectly baked when the edges are set and the centers are no longer glossy.
Cooling Rack.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Kitchen Scale. I use this for accuracy in measuring and it's a lifesaver when it comes to consistent baking
- Wire Rack for cooling cookies. I like to have at least 2 cooling racks
- Mixing Bowls. A Large Mixing Bowl for mixing ingredients and small and medium mixing bowls for other ingredients
- Cookie Sheet. Most recipes will take 2 batches to bake. It's great to have multiple baking sheets available
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat. Line the Cookie Sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- Cookie Scoop. A small #60 Cookie Scoop or a Medium Cookie Scoop #50 are great choices for uniform drops of cookie dough.
- Storage Container. An Airtight Container to store cookies or a Ziploc Bag works great too.
- Additional supplies. Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons along with a silicone spatula are all helpful.
Have you tried these Red Hot Cookies?
Let me know what you thought of this recipe! Tag @bestcookierecipes on social media so I can see how great your cookies turned out! I would also love to read your comments below. Let me know what you think of these cookies. It really does help!
More Delicious Candy Cookie Recipes
- Root Beer Cookies
- M&M Cookie Bars
- Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Christmas Magic Bars with Peppermints
- Ice Cream Cone Nutter Butter Cookies
- Peppermint Pie Cookies
- Halloween Leftover Candy Bar Cookies
- Classic Monster Cookies
- Classic M&M Sugar Cookie Recipe
Red Hot Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter Softened
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar 65g
- 1 Egg Large
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour 240g
- ⅓ cup Red Hot Candies Crushed
- ⅓ cup Coarse Sugar Garnish Optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl cream Butter and Granulated Sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be light and fluffy.
- Mix in the Egg and Vanilla Extract before adding the Vegetable Oil and Powdered Sugar. Continue to cream together for an additional 2-3 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
- Gradually add the remaining dry ingredients until combined.
- Crush Red Hot Candies and stir them into cookie dough.
- Scoop cookie dough using a medium size #50 cookie scoop.
- Dip the tops of the cookie dough into coarse sugar before placing it on the baking sheet.
- Place Red Hot cookie dough scoops on lined baking sheets with parchment paper and set the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes. Bake until the edges are set. Do not overbake.
- Allow cookies to cool for a minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
| Volume | Ounces | Grams | |
| All Purpose Flour | 1 Cup | 4 ½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Bread Flour | 1 Cup | 4 ½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 Cup | 7 Ounces | 200 Grams |
| Brown Sugar | 1 Cup | 7 ½ Ounces | 213 Grams |
| Confectionary Sugar | 1 Cup | 8 Ounces | 227 Grams |
- Preheated Oven. A preheated oven is best when baking a chewy and soft cookie.
- Room Temperature Ingredients. Softened Butter and room temperature egg are a must when baking.
- Cookie Sheets. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use baking spray.
- Cookie Dough. Chilling the dough is not necessary with this recipe.
- Storage: Store in a sealed container for up to 7 days. These cookies are best enjoyed within 2-3 days.
- Freezing: Cookies can be stored in a sealed container or Ziploc bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Place parchment paper between each cookie to prevent sticking.
Lauren
Mine are currently on the cooling rack, and I clearly messed something up! They didn’t flatten out…any ideas? I don’t have the ability to weigh, so I went by measuring cups, etc.. What keeps the cookie in a puck like shape?
Rebecca Johnston
Hi Lauren! Thanks for reaching out. When cookies don't flatten it's typically because too much flour is added. I weigh my ingredients for accuracy and consistency. When a kitchen scale isn't an option it's best to first stir flour in a large container with a spoon or a whisk to add air into it. Then carefully spoon into a measuring cup. Level off the top. Do not pack flour down or shake to level as that has a tendency to pack or compress resulting in adding more flour than needed. Hopefully this helps you in the future. Good Luck!
Nancy
I just finished baking my second batch. I made a few changes the 2nd time around. I used 1/2 cup instead of 1/3 cup of red hots. I used a #60 cookie scoop (I don’t have a #50) and yielded 3+ dozen cookies. Before going in the oven I dipped the top of the cookie dough in sugar as written. After the cookies came out of the oven I sprinkled them with a little bit of crushed red hots-slightly pressing them into the cookie. We all liked them. The 1st batch I used red hots but the only ones I could find were in really tiny boxes. The 2nd time I used Brachs Cinnamon hearts which came in a larger bag. I didn’t notice any difference in the 2-they’re probably the same thing.
Rebecca Johnston
Hi Nancy, I loved the additions you made and will have to give them a try. I think it’s a great idea to sprinkle a few extra crushed red hots on top of the cookie. Delicious!