Rich, smooth, and velvety, these Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are like a classic red velvet cake in cookie form!
These Red Velvet Cookies are perfect for your 4th of July parties, Christmas, and Valentine's Day!
The texture of these cookies is so soft and chewy, and the vibrant red color makes them stand out from the crowd.
They'll be a huge hit on your dessert table with the decadent frosting, and they're something a bit different for your cookie trays.
Red Velvet lovers will also love my Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies and these Red Velvet Cake Mix Sandwich Cookies!
Unlike my other Red Velvet creations, these cookies are made from scratch.
There's no cake mix here, but it's still super easy - we'll be using Red Velvet Emulsion, to get the classic flavor of Red Velvet Cake. (You should be able to find some in the baking aisle of your grocery store.)
These delicious cookies are ready in just 20 minutes, so make a batch today!
For more patriotic treats, check out my 4th of July Sugar Cookie Bars, Red, White, and Blue Sandwich Cookies, and my Patriotic M&M Cookies.
Shopping List
Wet Ingredients. Butter, Vanilla Extract or Red Velvet Emulsion, Egg, Red Food Color Gel
Dry Ingredients. All Purpose Flour, Granulated White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cornstarch, Cocoa Powder Dutch Process, Salt
How to Make Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Heat the oven to 350 F Degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat and set aside
Start by cutting the cold Butter into cubes. Then, in a large bowl, use a handheld mixer or stand mixer to cream together the Butter and Granulated Sugar until the mixture becomes fluffy. This should take around 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.
Add the Egg and Red Velvet Emulsion to the mix and cream it together until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to include all ingredients together.
TIP: This is also a great time to add Red Food Coloring Gel. You will need to add more color than you think to get the deep rich red color you are looking for. And can always add more color after the flour and cocoa are added.
Mix in Brown Sugar and continue to cream for 2-3 additional minutes.
Gradually add All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cocoa Powder, and, Salt to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
Scoop cookie dough into cookie dough balls using a #24 cookie scoop. Place on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Using your fingers to gently press the cookie dough to flatten it a little bit. This helps to make larger flatter cookies which are easier to frost once baked.
Bake cookies at 350F Degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set. The centers will still be soft but not glossy.
When your cookies are done, I recommended letting them cool on the baking sheet for a minimum of 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream together softened Butter with softened Cream Cheese until nice and smooth.
Add the Powdered Sugar and Vanilla Extract and cream until smooth.
TIP: Use a clear Vanilla Extract for a nice crisp white frosting.
Gradually drizzle 2-4 tablespoons of Heavy Cream to thin the frosting to reach the desired consistency.
Frost cookies and garnish with broken cookie crumbs (optional).
Storage & Freezing
Make Ahead: Put balls of cookie dough on the baking tray and flash freeze them in the freezer. Store frozen cookie dough balls in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. You can bake them from frozen, but you'll want to add a few minutes onto the baking time.
Store: Store these Red Velvet Cookies with cream Cheese Frosting in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but they're best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
Freeze: Store baked cookies in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap between each cookie to prevent them from sticking together. It's best to freeze them without the frosting on them, then frost them freshly before serving.
Substitutions & Variations
- Thicker cookies. If you want thicker cookies, you don't have to press the cookie dough balls down. Check the cookies near the end of the baking time as it will be a different thickness.
- Salted Butter. I find that salted butter will enhance the flavor well in cookies, but if you only have unsalted butter, just add a dash of salt to the cookie dough and the frosting.
- Add chocolate chips. Add white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough for more flavor and texture.
- Try another topping. If cream cheese frosting isn't your thing, you can use another kind of topping if you prefer. Try my Pink Frosting or this Chocolate Ganache for some added chocolate flavor.
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.
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 |
Add Red Food Color Gel with Red Velvet Emulsion.
You will need to add more color than you think to get the deep rich red color you are looking for. Remember that you can always add more gel color after the flour and cocoa are added as well.
Cookie Scoop.
Using a cookie scoop keeps each ball of cookie dough the same size, which is essential for ensuring even baking. This recipe makes approximately 10 cookies using a size #24 cookie scoop. You can make more smaller cookies with a smaller cookie scoop, or fewer giant cookies by using two scoops of cookie dough. You will need to adjust the baking time accordingly for either option.
Piping Bags.
To frost your cookies, I recommend using a piping bag with a snipped corner and a large star piping tip, as it is quick and easy and will give you a pleasing, crisp finish.
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.
- 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 two 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 two 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.
To find out more, check out my Pro Tips Guide for making the best cookies every time!
Have you tried this Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie recipe?
Let me know what you think 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!
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Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cookies
- ½ cup Butter Cold, Cut into Cubes
- ½ cup Brown Sugar 106g
- ¼ cup White Sugar 50g
- 1 Egg Large
- 1 teaspoon Red Velvet Emulsion or Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspooon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 3 teaspoon Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder Dutch Process 25g
- 1¼ cups All Purpose Flour 150g
- Red Food Color Gel
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup Butter Softened
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese Softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2-4 tablespoons Heavy Cream
Instructions
Red Velvet Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F Degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat and set aside
- Cut cold Butter into cubes, and cream together Butter and Granulated Sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. This will take about 2-3 minutes on medium/high speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add Egg and Red Velvet Emulsion and cream until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl as needed to include all ingredients together.
- TIP: This is also a great time to add Red Food Color Gel. You will need to add more color than you think to get the deep rich red color you are looking for. And can always add more color after the flour and cocoa are added.
- Mix in Brown Sugar and continue to cream for 2-3 additional minutes.
- Gradually add All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cocoa Powder and Salt to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
- Scoop cookie dough into cookie dough balls using a #24 cookie scoop. Place on Baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Using your fingers gentle press cookie dough to flatten a little bit. This helps to make larger flatter cookies which frost easier.
- Bake at 350F Degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set. Centers will still be soft.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream together softened Butter with softened Cream Cheese until nice and smooth.
- Add Powdered Sugar and Vanilla Extract.
- TIP: Use a clear Vanilla Extract for a nice crisp white frosting.
- Gradually drizzle 2-4 tablespoons Heavy Cream to thin frosting and reach desired consistency.
- Frost cookies and garnish with broken cookie crumbs (optional).
Notes
- Store: Store these Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but they're best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Store baked cookies in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap between each cookie to prevent them from sticking together. It's best to freeze them without the frosting on them, then frost them freshly before serving.
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Grace
Can't top a perfectly baked cookie any other way. Wow this Red Velvet Cookie was fantastic with the Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. Spot on.