Red velvet crinkles make for a beautiful sweet cookie that is paired perfectly with cream cheese filling. Red velvet is not just for cake anymore. This red velvet crinkles recipe is a pretty cookie that is both chewy and crisp with rich chocolate flavor.
It is a fusion of several wonderful desserts perfected into one handheld delight. It is a sweet marriage of a red velvet cake that meets chocolate crinkle cookies. And we all know that cookie sandwiches make every cookie better, so I went ahead and did it. After all red velvet has to have cream cheese frosting, stating the obvious.
Finding the ideal red velvet cookie from scratch proved to be hard. I tried more than I would like to mention before I came up with this foolproof method. It has been taste-tested by many kids, neighbors, and Ian (who knows a good dessert when he has one.) You will not be disappointed when you make these.
Jump to:
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are Great for Holidays
- Red Velvet Cookies from Scratch
- Ingredients
- How to Make Red Velvet Cookies & Cream Cheese Frosting
- How to Color Red Velvet Batter
- How Long to Bake Red Velvet Crinkles
- How to Make Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
- Assembling Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
- How to Store Red Velvet Cookies
- Freezing Red Velvet Cookies
- PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
- RED VELVET CRINKLE COOKIE SANDWICHES WITH CREAM CHEESE FILLING
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are Great for Holidays
The tangy cream cheese frosting against the subtle chocolate of the cocoa in the cookies is why red velvet is so popular. These crinkles cookie sandwiches are crispy on the edges, chewy in the center, and filled with creamy frosting. And yes, they are 100 % Super Dreamy!
Make them for the following holidays and do a simple adjustment to make them more festive:
- Valentine's Day - just as is or add a drop of red food coloring also to the frosting to make it pink
- 4th of July - Add plenty of frosting so it comes outside the edges of the cookies. Then roll them in blue sprinkles for red, white, and blue cookies.
- Christmas - can add green food coloring to the frosting. Or add green sprinkles along the frosting cookie edges. (like the 4th of July)
- GREAT AS GIFTS, FOR POTLUCKS, AND EVERY HOLIDAY!
If you are making these for Christmas, complete your cookie platter with my gorgeous recipe for Christmas Cream Cheese Chocolate Cookie Bars
Red Velvet Cookies from Scratch
I did not want to make cookies using a boxed Red Velvet cake mix. I am sure they are tasty and they work, but I was determined to make these from scratch and to get the cookies red.
My first few tries seemed to have A LOT of red food coloring but kept coming out maroon. So after several tries, this is the recipe that works and it is red (it may not look like a red crayon but it is red).
Ingredients
Since this recipe is from scratch and without a store-bought boxed cake mix. You can try my recipe for Red Velvet Brownies Using Cake Mix if you want an easy recipe that uses a shortcut.
These red velvet cookies have a few ingredients. You will need some pantry staples like most cookies but also some additional items that make this the best red velvet crinkle cookie ever.
- Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Salted Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Red Food Coloring
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
- Powdered/Confectioner's Sugar
And for the sweet cream cheese frosting, you will need these ingredients.
- Powdered/Confectioner's Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Salted Butter
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make Red Velvet Cookies & Cream Cheese Frosting
These cookies are beautiful and delicious. They do take a bit of time to make but worth every step. They are like whoopie pies if you have ever made them. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this recipe.
Begin by making the red velvet crinkles. Then as the cookies cool, you make the sweet cream cheese frosting. The final step is putting them together into one perfect chocolatey red velvet bite.
Make the Cookie Dough
In a large clear glass mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, butter, cream, cider vinegar, food coloring, vanilla, and eggs.
How to Color Red Velvet Batter
On medium speed with a hand mixer, mix the wet ingredients until smooth. The color will be super bright, almost orange. Remember in elementary school the color blending - well red food coloring and yellow yolks will become a bit orange. This is how mine turned out.
For an alternative instead of using commercial food coloring or food dyes, check out the options recommended in this article - 5 Alternatives to Red Food Dye.
Combine the Dry Ingredients
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. The cocoa powder will "brown" the batter once it is added. In the next step, I will talk a bit more about how to make sure it will be more red than brown once baked.
Fold the flour mixture into the red wet mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth.
Adjust with the Red Food Coloring
The batter will change color almost immediately as the cocoa powder absorbs the wet ingredients. It will not look super red and you may freak out. You can add more red food coloring at this step. Before you do, to get a better idea of how red or brown it truly is, wipe some of the batters along the sides of the glass bowl. You will see the red hues still coming through. Note the reddish tint to the batter on the right side of my bowl in the image below.
If there is no red at all, add more red food color - about 2-3 drops at a time. Mix again and check for redness again. If you are not using a glass bowl, use a small drinking glass and spread some along the edge.
Chill the Batter
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes. It will be very sticky and wet even after setting in the refrigerator. As you spoon out each tray to bake, put the bowl back in the refrigerator to keep chilled.
Scoop & Shape the Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
375° oven preheated. Get ready to start scooping, rolling, and coating the dough before baking.
Put some confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the chilled dough with a ½ tablespoon measuring spoon and drop it into the confectioners' sugar and roll to completely coat. Your hands will be sticky, keep them coated with sugar as well.
Roll the Crinkle Cookies in Powdered Sugar
Place each round dough ball on the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand to flatten - so they are about a ⅓ inch thick.
How Long to Bake Red Velvet Crinkles
This is how many fit on a baking sheet and how far apart they should be. They will spread to about 2 ½ inches in diameter once done.
Bake until the cookies look set and do not jiggle, 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes; they should appear slightly soft in the center still. Let cool for another 10 minutes on a wire rack.
How to Make Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the frosting ingredients. Using a hand mixer on low-medium speed, cream the confectioners' sugar, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until no lumps remain and the filling is smooth.
Assembling Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
When the cookies are cool, spread a tablespoon of cream cheese filling on the bottom (flat sides) of half of the cookies. Top each with one of the remaining cookies, bottom (flat side) facing in.
One for the baker! Sometimes the cookies do not last long enough to cool and frost. That is ok if no one sees you eat one, it doesn't count, right? These are the most sinful red velvet cookies ever.
How to Store Red Velvet Cookies
If you are not eating the cookies right away, I advise you to store the cookies and the frosting separately. It is best to not assemble the cookies until you are ready to eat them that same day. So it is best to only assemble those that you will eat the same day.
Once the cookies are cooled, store them in an air-tight container on your counter or in your pantry. Store the cream cheese frosting in a container in the refrigerator. The cookies and frosting can be stored for up to 3 days and still be fresh.
Freezing Red Velvet Cookies
You can freeze either the dough or the baked cookies. Both store well when frozen properly. Wrap any dough tightly with plastic wrap and then place it in a Ziploc bag and seal. The dough will last for up to 3 months.
For baked red velvet cookies, stack them in an air-tight container. Place them in a freezer and store them for up to 30 days. Thaw dough or cookies in the refrigerator.
PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
Product Recommendations for this Recipe:
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RED VELVET CRINKLE COOKIE SANDWICHES WITH CREAM CHEESE FILLING
Ingredients
- 1.5 C all-purpose flour
- ¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ C granulated sugar
- 4 TB salted butter melted
- 2 teaspoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB + 2 tsp red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- confectioner's sugar for coating
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 C confectioner's sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 TB salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large clear glass mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, butter, cream, cider vinegar, food coloring, vanilla, and eggs. Mix on medium speed until combined and smooth.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Fold the flour mixture into the sugar mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth.
- Check to ensure the batter is red enough (see above where I describe how to check). If not red enough, add more food coloring and stir.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes. It will be soft and sticky. As you roll and bake each batch in the oven. Return the bowl to the refrigerator to keep chilled, that will help make it easier to work with.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Put some confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the chilled dough with a ½ tablespoon measuring spoon and drop into the confectioners’ sugar and roll to completely coat. Your hands will be sticky, keep them coated with sugar as well.
- Place each round dough ball on the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand to flatten – so they are about a ⅓ inch thick. They will spread to about 2 ½ inches in diameter once done.
- Bake until the cookies look set and do not jiggle, 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. They should appear slightly soft in the center still. Let cool another 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- For the filling: Using a hand mixer, cream the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla until no lumps remain and the filling is smooth.
- When the cookies are cool, spread 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling on the bottom (flat sides) of half of the cookies. Top each with one of the remaining cookies, bottom (flat side) facing in.
- ENJOY!
Holly says
What a great recipe.. I am going to try this for Valentine's day! Thank you!
Tiffany says
I have some budding bakers and can't wait to try this with them!
Angela says
Great to hear. Have fun making them and eating them too!
Debbie says
These look amazing. Great idea for Valentine's coming up.
Candy K says
These look amazing! I love red velvet.
Sydney Delong says
Mmmm this looks so good!!!
Maria Gustafsson says
These look delicious, and now I want cookies!
Kareena says
Oh my goodness!! These look AMAZING! Can't wait to try them! Thanks for sharing.
Angela says
You are welcome
Tricia Snow says
These look amazing. My daughter's husband loves red velvet.
Angela says
I hope you share this recipe with them and they love them.
Lisa Manderino says
I love making cake cookies but adding yummy cream and creating a sandwich sounds amazing! yum!
Cindy says
Yum!! Reminds me of the whoopie pies we have here.
Angela says
Yes a Valentine Whoopie Pie of some sort
Charlotte says
These look yummy! I am not a big red velvet fan but this is inspiring to try a new recipe.
heather J jandrue says
These look amazing!!!
jen says
OH, my daughter will want to see this!
Angela says
Great, I hope she enjoys them! Thank you for sharing with her.
Karen says
These look so pretty! Perfect for Valentine's day.
Jennifer says
They look delicious.
Suzan says
I bet these would be delish with cream cheese frosting as well!
Angela says
Yes the cream cheese frosting used as the filling is simply perfection!
Cathy says
Thanks for the awesome recipe! I'm definitely going to try it!
vanessa says
These would make great gifts for Christmas parties...I'm going to keep this one for sure.
Angela says
Yes, great for Christmas too!
Christina Furnival says
Yum yum yum! You've got me drooling!
Joanne says
Those look yummy and perfect for Valentine's Day. Pinned.
Angela says
Thanks for pinning - Happy Valentine's Day!
Beth Shields says
These cookies look great. Will have to keep this in mind for my next Valentine's function. Thanks!
Angela says
Great, hope everyone enjoys them.
Jane says
You made me hungry just by looking at the photos. And it's perfect for Valentines Day. You never ceases to amaze me with your cooking and baking skills.
Brianna says
Oh my goodness these look so delicious!
Trisha says
These look so good! Absolutely perfect for Valentine's Day. I think I will make them with my kids!
Melissa Jones says
Those look and sound yummy!
Karren Haller says
If my grandson were here I would make these cookies, he loves Red Velvet.
I found your post on April J Harris and would love to have you stop by and share on #omhgff or #omhgww parties
Hope to see you soon.
Have a lovely weekend!
Karren
T.M. Brown says
Oh, my goodness - I need a plate of these in front of me right this instant! These look soooooooooo good. I am in love with crinkle cookies and these just are sooo perfect. I need to see if I can use an egg substitute, though, so my son can have them, too.
Angela says
Great, I am glad you love crinkle cookies too. Let me know how the egg substitute works out.
Lisa says
For some reason, I never imagine red velvet cookies. Always. red velvet cake...these look so yummy!!
Susan says
These look super yummy and easy. I thought "I could make these next time I have to bring a dish", then I thought... "Nope... I'm keeping these little tasty nuggets to myself".
Angela says
Sharing is Caring - but sometimes you deserve to spoil yourself!
Michele says
These look delicious! Maybe I can convince my hubby to make us some since I cant cook anything!
Miz Helen says
Congratulations! I just pinned your featured post to our Full Plate Thursday Feature Board. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us and hope you will come back real soon!
Miz Helen
Angela says
Wonderful, thank you for featuring this recipe! I love your site and happy to check it out often.
Kacey says
This look so yummy! Is there anything better than a Red Velvet?
Joanne says
Oh my gosh! These look so good! Red Velvet cake is my absolute favourite. I can't wait to try these cookies. My 12 yr old just loves to bake and he'll be excited that I've found a new cookie for him to test out.
Angela says
Great, I am glad you found this recipe. I would love to see how these turn out. If you are on social media please share and tag me so I can see how amazing they turned out - FACEBOOK @theshortordercookblog - TWITTER @shortorder_cook - INSTAGRAM @theshortordercookblog
Tamara says
These look and sound amazing! I can't wait to try them I am sure my kids will love!
Angela says
If they are like my kids, they will want these - they may even do extra chores so they can get their hands on. win win!
Nyxie says
These look amazing. Red velvet was meant to be my wedding cake, but after deciding not to get married I would settle for these! Definitely giving them a try.
Angela says
Treat yourself and enjoy these for sure.
Rochelle Stivers says
These look so good. I am definitely gonna make these soon!.
Caroline Gelabert-Noh says
Yummy! Mouth watering the whole time!
Cherryl says
My friend absolutely loves red velvet cake. I know she'll love these, too. I'll save your recipe for her next birthday celebration.
Angela says
Ah, that is wonderful - what a great friend you are.
Jackie says
These were so amazing and pretty. Perfect red velvet color and taste. I will make them again for Christmas.
Angela says
So glad you loved these. They are fun for any event where you want a pretty red dessert, like 4th of July, Valentine's Day, or birthdays!
Renee says
I added a bit more red food coloring since we wanted these very red for a birthday girl that loves red. No party this year but she loved these and has already asked for them for next year. The cream cheese frosting was perfect and I will make extra next time as I kept sneaking some.
Angela says
Thank you so much for letting me know that this was a loved birthday cookie and the red coloring is just beautiful. I agree the cream cheese frosting as the filling is to die for in these red velvet crinkle cookies.
Darci says
YUM! Chewy and crisp just what I wanted. They are not overly sweet and the cream cheese filling is perfect.
Angela says
I am so glad you loved the red velvet crinkle cookies and I agree the filling is to die for.
Billie says
These are a labor of love for sure. If you want cookies fast & no mess, these aren’t it. I am a disaster in the kitchen so sorry. After all that I cannot say enough about how delicious these cookies are. The red velvet is not too sweet and moist. The cream cheese frosting inside is a must. Mess or not I will make these again.
Angela says
They are worth the effort for sure. My kids are old enough to help out and we enjoy making these together so make it a party and gather together for friends and family to make a few batches.