Description
These Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Cookies are soft, delicious, and topped with a creamy homemade cream cheese frosting. Perfect for celebrating with a loved one, this ultimate recipe combines classic red velvet flavors with a tender cookie texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
Frosting
- 1 cup cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: Additional powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream Butter: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy and smooth using a hand or stand mixer.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter, mixing thoroughly until fully incorporated.
- Add Food Coloring: Stir in the red food coloring evenly until the dough has a consistent vibrant red hue.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually incorporate the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Scoop Cookies: Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow room for spreading.
- Bake: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers remain slightly soft.
- Cool on Rack: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, then gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until creamy and well combined.
- Frost Cookies: Once the cookies have completely cooled, spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on top of each cookie.
- Optional Dusting: For an elegant finish, dust the frosted cookies with additional powdered sugar.
Notes
- Ensure the butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature for easier mixing.
- Do not overmix the dough to keep the cookies tender and soft.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- You can store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze the baked cookies for longer storage.
- For a more intense red color, you may add an extra ½ tablespoon of red food coloring if desired.
