With Tuesday being Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share my FAVORITE red velvet cookies that go perfectly with the holiday. These have a light cream cheese frosting that complements the soft, velvety center.
If you are celebrating the holiday, make these cookies more fun with some festive sprinkles! My daughter and I had a blast decorating these after I finished making them. Honestly, the sprinkles were her favorite part! I'll try not to take that personally. ?
If you're looking for another delicious cookie recipe, try out some of these:
I also use the cream cheese frosting from this recipe with my frosted chocolate Oreo cookies, and they're a must-try.
Baking tips for these red velvet cookies
First off, you want your red velvet cookies to all cook evenly. To do so, don't put them in immediately after preheating. There may still be areas of the oven that are hotter or cooler than others. Allowing it to sit 15 minutes after preheating should allow the temperature to even out. Then put the cookies in and they will be more likely to cook evenly.
Second, don't overcook the cookies--once the edges are starting to crack, you can take them out. The centers will still be soft, but it is better to pull the cookies out sooner than later. They will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet, so leave them until they have completely cooled.
The perfect cream cheese frosting
This cream cheese frosting may be a little different than most--I find that a lot of other recipes' cream cheese flavor is way too strong, but when I try to balance the flavor out with more powdered sugar, the texture becomes powdery. In this recipe, I add heavy whipping cream which helps to tone down the cream cheese and also creates a light and creamy texture. You may find that there is still too much powdered sugar, so add a little bit at a time until it has reached your preferred taste.
If you try out these red velvet cookies or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
Now get baking, and enjoy!
Red Velvet Cookies
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ teaspoon red food coloring gel
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Cream Cheese Frosting*
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 cup powdered sugar**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray.
- In standing mixer, mix butter, brown and white sugar on high for 2-3 minutes until creamy and slightly lighter in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure it is thoroughly mixed. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and red food coloring and mix on medium speed until it is well mixed and the food coloring is evenly distributed. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Then add to the standing mixer and mix on lowest setting until there are no pockets of flour. Don't overmix.
- Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheets at least 2 inches apart. Bake for about 9-10 minutes, but make sure not to overbake. Once the edges start to crack, they should be done. Leave on the tray until cooled completely.
- For the frosting, whip together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and whipping cream in a standing mixer on high. Once well mixed, gradually add in the powdered sugar. Gradually increase the speed, and allow to mix on high for 3-4 minutes. Either spread on cookies with a knife, or pipe frosting after the cookies are completely cooled. Enjoy!
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