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Red Velvet Cookies

Published December 8, 2020. Updated February 27, 2024

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Red Velvet Cookies – These are deliciously soft and chewy, gorgeously red along with a pretty white chocolate chip contrast, and they’re perfectly sweet with hints of vanilla and cocoa flavor. It’s a tempting treat that people of all ages will enjoy!

Red Velvet Cookies shown from overhead on a rectangular white platter on a marble surface.

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Red velvet cookies would have to be one of the ultimate Christmas or Valentines Day cookies with their pretty and festive red color.

These are an easy to make cookie that uses basic ingredients and they’re sure to satisfy those red velvet cravings!

These cookies are a combination of two of the best desserts – red velvet cake and chocolate chip cookies.

Really you just can’t go wrong with these cookies! You just get simple classic flavors and a fun new take on cookies.

It’s a simple baking project that’s perfect for the weekend, just don’t wear your best attire with all that red. Also plan some time since cookie dough needs to chill (otherwise cookies will spread too much).

Watch the Video!

 

Image of ingredients used to make red velvet cookies. Includes flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, red food coloring, vanilla extract, salt, vinegar, butter, egg and white chocolate chips.

Red Velvet Cookies Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour: Bleached or unbleached flour works here. Bleached spreads just a little less and produces softer cookies while unbleached flour makes slightly chewier cookies.
  • Cocoa powder: Don’t use dutch process cocoa powder, it’s too dark here.
  • Baking soda: If you want cookies a little puffier include 1/4 tsp baking powder along with the baking soda.
  • Salt: Just use table salt.
  • Unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter on hand you can use that here. Just add 1/8 tsp salt to the recipe.
  • Granulated sugar and brown sugar: The combo makes the cookies perfectly sweet and the brown sugar helps make the cookies softer.
  • Egg: This helps bind the ingredients and also makes for a softer cookie.
  • Red food coloring: I have made these with both gel and liquid food coloring. Gel seems to work just a little better since it’s not as liquidy but it is harder to find at most grocery stores so I’ve included options for both. You can try beet powder or a natural gel color but keep in mind the color won’t be as vibrant.
  • Vanilla extract: Another option here is to use vanilla bean paste.
  • Vinegar: Just plain white vinegar is used here (similar to classic red velvet cake) but I’ve also used lemon juice and it works well too. It just boosts flavor a little.
  • White chocolate chips: I like the pretty contrast of the white chocolate chips but semi-sweet or even milk chocolate chips will work well too for richer chocolate flavor.

Collage of six images showing steps to making red velvet cookie dough in a stand mixer.

How to Make Red Velvet Cookies

  1. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined.
  3. Mix in egg. Add in red food coloring, vanilla and vinegar.
  4. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined.
  5. Mix in 3/4 cup white or semi-sweet chocolate chips (set aside remaining 1/3 cup to use after baking).
  6. Cover bowl and chill dough 1 – 2 hours until dough is nearly firm. Near the end of chilling preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. Scoop dough out and shape into balls about 1 1/2 Tbsp each (or 28g). Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet spacing 2-inches apart.
  8. Bake one sheet at a time (keep remaining dough chilled and repeat process), until cookies appear set on the edges but slightly under-baked in the center, about 10 – 11 minutes.
  9. Remove cookies from oven and gently press some of the remaining white chocolate chips into tops.
  10. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Collage of six images showing remaining steps of making red velvet cookie dough batter then shaping cookie dough into balls and placing on baking sheet.

Storage and Shelf Life

  • Store cookies in an airtight container (I even add them to the storage container before they are completely cool to trap in some of the steam and moisture.
  • To help keep cookies soft add a few slices of bread to the storage container or lay flour tortillas over tops.
  • These cookies are best enjoyed within 2 days of preparing.
  • I don’t recommend freezing as cookies will likely become dry.

Variations

  • Skip the white chocolate chips being mixed in and rather dip the one half of cookies in melted white chocolate or drizzle it over the top.
  • Add 1 tsp lemon zest for a light zip.
  • Use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
  • Replace 1 Tbsp of the flour with an additional 3 tsp cocoa powder for a little more chocolate background flavor. Just keep in mind cookies won’t be quite as red.
  • Omit white chocolate chips and instead finish cookies with a cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Cookies layered together, shown from a side angle on a platter.

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Red Velvet Cookies shown from a side angle on a platter.
4.78 from 44 votes
Print Recipe

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are deliciously soft and chewy, gorgeously red, they're dotted with creamy white chocolate chips that add a pretty contrast, and they're perfectly sweet. It's a tempting treat that's perfect for Christmas or Valentines.

Watch the video

Servings: 23
Prep15 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Chill1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined.
  • Mix in egg. Add in red food coloring, vanilla and vinegar.
  • Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Mix in 3/4 cup white or semi-sweet chocolate chips (set aside remaining 1/3 cup to use after baking).
  • Cover bowl and chill dough 1 - 2 hours until dough is nearly firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees near the end of dough chilling.
  • Scoop dough out and shape into balls about 1 1/2 Tbsp each (or 28g). Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet spacing 2-inches apart.
  • Bake one sheet at a time (keep remaining dough chilled and repeat process), until cookies appear set on the edges but slightly under-baked in the center, about 10 - 11 minutes.
  • Remove cookies from oven and gently press some of the remaining white chocolate chips into tops.
  • Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container. Keep a few bread slices or large flour tortillas in container with cookies to keep them soft.

Notes

  • *Sift cocoa powder into flour mixture if it's clumpy.
  • Recipe has been updated December 2020.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Red Velvet Cookies
Author: Jaclyn

 

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390 Comments

  • Skye

    Hello! I would love to try out this recipe, would it be okay if i browned the butter instead?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I wouldn’t recommend it because it will alter the way they spread and the texture.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I’m sorry you thought so. Perhaps more vanilla, lemon, or cocoa (in place of the flour) may give that flavor boost you are looking for.

  • Elizabeth

    Can you post the original recipe? I used to make these cookies all the time and they were such a hit!! I lost the recipe though, would love to have the original one again, not this updated one.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Yield: 3 dozen
      Ingredients
      2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
      2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder*
      1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
      3/4 tsp baking soda
      1/2 tsp salt
      8 Tbsp butter , at room temperature
      6 Tbsp all vegetable shortening , at room temperature
      1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
      1 large egg
      1 large egg yolk
      1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
      1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
      1 Tbsp red food coloring
      1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips , divided

      Instructions
      Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, set aside. Add butter, shortening and sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and mix on medium speed until very pale and fluffy about 4 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combine. Add vinegar, vanilla and food coloring and mix until well blended. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips.

      Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) and roll into balls and place on buttered or Silpat lined cookie sheets. Gently press about 6 white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie, being careful not to flatten the cookies (if you do flatten them a bit just reshape them to the height they had before adding the chips) and bake in preheated oven 8 – 9 minutes. Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container.

  • Liam Jordan

    They tasted ok but the color was not nearly as vibrant as on the images shown, I used liquid since I had run out of gel so that could be it, but I also thought that the dough was too sticky to work well with making it take much longer than it should have, don’t have that red velvet taste either, just taste like dull chocolate cookies

    Then again I love red velvet but it’s also the bane of my existence to make

  • Brooklyn Mann

    I followed this recipe exactly and was very careful My cookie came out burnt and some of the ones that weren’t burnt tasted like chicken? Super weird. Maybe it wasn’t your fault but if it was it’s okay! I hope you have a bright future with your cooking!

  • Keeta

    I want to make this cookie for 100 people could I 4x this recipe?

    • Pam

      I’m wondering if these are supposed to have a cocoa flavor? Mine are a bit flavorless. Do I add more cocoa powder and if so do I use less flour? Thank you.

      • Jaclyn

        Jaclyn Bell

        No red velvet doesn’t have a distinctive cocoa flavor just a faint background flavor but you could add a little more and yes what you increase reduce the flour. Just keep in mind they will be darker/and more brown less red.