Two worlds have collided and your dreams have come true. You can now enjoy your favorite cake flavor as a delicious cookie! This Red Velvet Cookie turns the classic, all-time favorite red velvet cake into a chewy, chunky cookie filled with cream cheese frosting, topped with sugar for a crunchy and fun addition. Make this quick and simple cookie recipe with the simplest ingredients, and you’ll be everyone’s favorite.
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Cookie Series. I have curated 4 epic cookie recipes that I will be sharing with you throughout the month with tips and tricks along the way to help you become a cookie monster, master.
Check out the first episode of the cookie series featuring the Double Chocolate Chip Cookie here.
I remember just a few years ago when chocolate and vanilla were known as the two classic cake flavors, and out of nowhere came red velvet which instantly became everyone’s favorite. This delicious cake flavor features chocolate without going overboard with chocolate. But the best part about red velvet cake is the cream cheese frosting. There is something about the combination of the sweet, chocolatey cake base and tangy, salty cream cheese that hits the perfect notes and takes red velvet to the next level.
So when I decided to make a red velvet cookie, I knew it HAD to feature the cream cheese element. I mean, it’s not really red velvet without cream cheese, is it?
These glorious red velvet cookies are made with a light chocolate base and are filled with a yummy cream cheese mixture that gives you that classic red velvet combination. The cookies are covered in sugar before baking which adds a fun and crunchy element to their texture.
The dough itself is similar to regular cookie dough and is made with basic pantry staple ingredients – butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch/cornflour, and salt. The only *slightly* uncommon ingredient in this dough is the red food coloring that can be found easily in your local grocery store.
The cream cheese filling is made by whisking together cream cheese, icing sugar, flour, and vanilla to form a thick and creamy mixture.
The trickiest part (which isn’t really that tricky) of making these cookies is filling the cookie dough with the cream cheese filling. Don’t worry though, it’s very simple to do and I am going to break it down for you step-by-step below. Here’s how you can fill the red velvet cookie dough with the cream cheese filling.
- Spoon dollops of the cream cheese filling on a sheet and freeze them for 1-2 hours until they are firm. This will help in handling the cream cheese and also make it easier to form the cookie dough ball.
- Once the cream cheese dollops are set, roll them using your hands to form small balls, then let them chill in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes. They will be a little sticky to work with, so don’t worry if the balls are not perfect.
- Take your chilled cookie dough out of the fridge and form small cookie dough balls (2 for each cookie). I weigh mine at around 30 gs each.
- Make a dent in the center of half of the cookie dough balls using the back of a wooden spoon or your thumb. This will be used to place the cream cheese filling. Make sure that you don’t make a hole in the cookie dough, just a dent.
- Flatten the remaining half cookie dough balls into a disk.
- Now, place the cream cheese balls on the dents in the first half of the cookie dough balls. Then place the cookie dough disks on top of the cream cheese, making sure all the sides are covered.
- Pick the cookie dough from the tray and roll it into a ball using your hands. Make sure the cream cheese filling is covered with the dough on all sides. Don’t overwork the cookie dough at this point or the cream cheese will melt and mix into the dough. Form rough circles, then let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Before baking, cover the cookie dough in granulated sugar.
You can check out the full recipe video to help you understand the filling process better.
How To Make The Perfect Cookie
If you want to make the perfect cookie using this recipe, here are a few tips that will help you along the way –
- Cream the butter and sugars properly. In baking, ‘creaming’ refers to the process of whisking butter and sugar together until they are properly combined. Creaming is the first step in making any cookie dough, and it’s important that it’s done right to make sure that your cookie turns out chewy and chunky. While mixing the butter and sugar together, make sure that you whisk for 3-5 minutes until the butter is light and airy and you end up with a fluffy and creamy mixture.
- Chill the dough. It’s absolutely necessary to chill the cookie dough for 6-8 hours or ideally overnight. This ensures that fats in the dough solidify, which means that the cookies take longer to spread while cooking. This results in thicker, chunkier cookies. Chilling the dough also helps the dry ingredients soak up more hydration from the liquid ingredients, which results in a more flavorful cookie.
- Weight the dough for each cookie. Instead of eyeing the amount of dough you are using for each cookie, weigh it to make sure that you end up with consistent sizes for each one. I use 60gs of dough for each cookie and divide it into 2 balls of 30 gs for the filling process.
- Give each cookie enough space to spread. Make sure that you are not placing the cookies too close together on the baking sheet. Each cookie should have enough space to spread properly. If you don’t leave enough space, the cookies will stick to one another while baking.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. One of the main reasons cookies turn out cakey instead of chewy is overbaking. Baking cookies is all about balance. You want to bake them long enough that the edges are set but the center is still a little undercooked while making sure that the cookies are not too undercooked and soft. Every oven works differently, so you might have to experiment to find the right time and temperature balance to bake the cookies perfectly. If you’re unsure, remember that it’s always better to have an underbaked cookie than an overbaked one.
- Shape the cookies while they’re still hot. It’s likely that your cookies will not come out of the oven perfectly round, but here’s a secret tip that will help you make them perfectly round every time. As soon as the cookies come out of the love, place any circular object like a cookie cutter, a mug, or a jar lid on top of each individual cookie and swirl it around. The cookie will still be very soft and the circular movement will shape the edges and result in a round cookie. Make sure to do this as soon as the cookies come out of the oven.
With all that information, I think you are ready to make this epic red velvet cookie recipe. So let’s get started!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are very unreliable and can give different measurements, so I would suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups, however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
PPS: if you notice a * after any word, it means that there are additional tips about it after the recipe.
Red Velvet Cookies With Cream Cheese Filling
Equipment
- Stand or electric mixer
- Silicone spatula
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cookie Dough
- 185 gs all-purpose flour
- 30 gs cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch/corn flour
- 1/4th tsp salt
- 115 gs unsalted butter, softened
- 100 gs brown sugar
- 100 gs white sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 tsps vanilla essence
- 15 ml full-fat milk
- 1 tbsp liquid or gel red food coloring (more if required)
Cream Cheese Filling
- 100 gs full-fat cream cheese
- 190 gs icing sugar
- 10 gs all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- Extra white sugar for topping
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl: all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.185 gs all-purpose flour, 30 gs cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cornstarch/corn flour, 1/4th tsp salt
- In a stand mixer (or a bowl with an electric mixer), add the softened butter*, and both the sugars and cream together on high speed for 3-5 minutes until well combined. The mixture should be nice and creamy. Make sure not to overmix at this point!*115 gs unsalted butter, softened, 100 gs brown sugar, 100 gs white sugar
- Add the room temperature egg* and vanilla essence into the butter mixture and whisk together until well combined. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated into the butter and there is no liquid left in the batter.1 egg, room temperature, 2 tsps vanilla essence
- With the mixer on slow, add the dry ingredients into the batter and keep mixing on low speed until everything is well incorporated and there are no streaks of flour still remaining in the mix. You will have a nice, thick dough at this point.
- Add the milk and red food coloring and whisk again until completely incorporated.15 ml full-fat milk, 1 tbsp liquid or gel red food coloring (more if required)
- Wrap the prepared cookie dough tightly in cling film and let it chill in the fridge for 8 hours, or ideally overnight.
- Prepare the cream cheese filling – In a bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk using an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes, until it forms a thick, creamy mixture. Spoon 1-2 teaspoon-sized dollops of the cream cheese mixture on a baking sheet and let them set in the freezer for-1 2 hours, until firm. Once firm, remove them from the freezer and shape them into balls with your palms. Then let them set in the freezer again for 10-15 minutes100 gs full-fat cream cheese, 190 gs icing sugar, 10 gs all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- Fill the cookie dough: Take the chilled cookie dough out of the fridge and form small cookie dough balls (2 for each cookie). I weigh mine at around 30 gs each. Make a dent in the center of half of the cookie dough balls using the back of a wooden spoon or your thumb. This will be used to place the cream cheese filling. Make sure that you don't make a hole in the cookie dough, just a dent. Flatten the remaining half cookie dough balls into a disk. Now, place the cream cheese balls on the dents in the first half of the cookie dough balls. Then place the cookie dough disks on top of the cream cheese, making sure all the sides are covered. Pick the cookie dough from the tray and roll it into a ball using your hands. Make sure the cream cheese filling is covered with the dough on all sides. Don't overwork the cookie dough at this point or the cream cheese will melt and mix into the dough. Form rough circles, then let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll the chilled cookie dough balls in granulated white sugar.
- Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and cover a baking tray with baking paper. Place the cookie dough balls on the tray (leaving enough space for each cookie to spread) and bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, until the edges are set but the center is still soft.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, shape them using a circular object like a jar lid, a mug, or a cookie cutter. Let the cookies cool before digging in.
Notes
Storage:
- These cookies can be stored for up to a week in a refrigerated airtight box. Don’t forget to heat them in the microwave before serving
Make ahead:
- You can also make the dough in advance, freeze it for a few weeks and bake it whenever you want to
Tips & tricks:
- Softened butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature but not too warm. If the butter is too soft, your dough will end up being too soft, causing the cookies to spread too much in the oven and deflate after you take them out
- Room temperature eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature as well, cold eggs also lead to deflation of cookies
- Mixing the butter and sugar: Don’t mix the sugar and butter mix for longer than 2 minutes or you may overmix it and end up making cakey cookies
- Dividing the cookie dough: You can divide the cookie dough in 2 or more parts depending on how you want to bake them
- Chilling the cookie dough: Don’t skip the chilling step! Chilling your dough for 12-48 hours allows the sugar to combine within the dough a lot better, creating chewier, thicker cookies
And that’s how you turn red velvet cake into delicious, bakery-style double cookies! The best part? You can stock the dough up in your freezer and bake fresh cookies whenever you want to.
Hope you enjoyed episode #2 of the cookie series. Stay tuned for the next one coming soon! . Meanwhile, check these cookie recipes.
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Bakery Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Kunafa Cookie Recipe
If you give this recipe a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments. And of course, share it with me on Instagram!
Until next time !
