Chewy Red Velvet Cookies with a hint of cocoa and loaded with creamy white chocolate are a fun and festive version of the chocolate chip cookies. These massive cookies are the perfect treats for Valentine’s day and Christmas.
I made a few batches of these Red Velvet Cookies during Christmas and sent them off to friends since we weren’t able to see anyone during the holiday season. I made some slight tweaks to the original recipe and they were a huge hit!
These red velvet cookies have a good dose of cocoa and lots of white chocolate. They’re chewy, buttery, sweet and creamy. And they’re so festive for the holidays, but there’s nothing wrong with baking them up just because you want to. That’s the best reason for cookies!
What you’ll need
You will need a total of 12 ingredients to make this red velvet cookies recipe. The list of ingredients, quantity, and instructions are also in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Melted butter is used in this recipe for a more chewy cookie. If you want more cakey cookies, use softened butter instead.
- Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are used here. The brown sugar adds to the chewiness.
- I used dutch-processed cocoa powder for a stronger chocolate flavor, but you can use whichever type of cocoa powder you have at home.
- Any kind of white chocolate should work in this recipe. I showed chocolate wafers here, but chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and chopped chocolate are all fine.
- You’ll need 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Don’t use 2 whole eggs, it would be too much liquid. Save the egg white for meringue cookies or Swiss meringue buttercream.
- You might be tempted to omit the vanilla, don’t! Even though we have cocoa powder to flavor the cookies, vanilla extract will enhance the flavor and keep it from tasting flat.
- I use McCormick red food color, you can get a small bottle at the grocery store.
- I use AP flour here, you can use bread flour for even chewier cookies.
- Both baking powder and baking soda are used for leavening.
- A little bit of kosher salt to enhance the flavor of the cookies.
How to make red velvet cookies
- Add melted butter and both types of sugar to a mixing bowl.
- Beat for 2 minutes until lighter in color.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, red food color.
- Beat for another 2 minutes until fluffy.
- Mix together the dry ingredients and add it to the wet ingredient mixture.
- Stir until incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape down the bowl with a spatula and give it another good mix as needed. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Portion the cookie dough with a large cookie scoop and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes before baking. For rounder cookies with neater edges, you could roll the cookie dough into balls.
Baker’s Tips
- You can portion the cookie dough right after mixing and refrigerate the dough balls for at least an hour before baking. However, the dough may be wet and sticky at this stage and you won’t be able to roll them into balls just yet.
- When refrigerating the cookie dough in the mixing bowl, set a timer so you don’t forget about it. If you let it sit in the fridge for too long, the dough will harden too much and be difficult to scoop.
- You can use a medium cookie scoop to make smaller cookies. Smaller cookies will bake faster, reduce the baking time by 2 – 3 minutes in this case.
Storage
These red velvet cookies will last 3 – 5 days at room temperature stored in an airtight container. If you keep them longer, they will start to harden but are still pretty good.
You can refrigerate or freeze these cookies to keep them fresh longer. But if you want freshly baked cookies, it is best to freeze the dough balls instead. See making ahead below.
Making ahead
Red velvet cookie dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months. Be sure to portion the dough first before stashing them in the fridge or freezer.
To freeze dough balls, portion them onto a baking sheet and freeze them in one layer until frozen solid. Then transfer the dough balls to a freezer bag, at this point, you don’t need to worry about them sticking together.
You can take out a couple of cookies whenever the mood strikes and bake them directly from frozen, just increase baking time by 1 – 2 minutes, no need to thaw.
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Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (227 g, melted and cooled)
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark, tightly packed, 250 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon liquid red food coloring (28 g)
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (300 g)
- ¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (22 g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cup white chocolate chips (326 g, or one 11-12 oz bag)
Instructions
- Add cooled melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the stand mixer bowl and beat with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes until lighter in color.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, liquid red food color and continue beating for another 2 minutes until fluffy.
- In another mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the kosher salt and give it a good mix to distribute. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture in the stand mixer bowl, stir until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a spatula and give it another good mix as needed. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Portion the cookie dough with a large cookie scoop and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes. (Optional: If you want the cookie to be rounder, roll the portioned dough into balls.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place 6 dough balls on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake 1 batch at a time for 14 – 15 minutes, until the outer edges of the cookies look crispy but the middle is still soft and slightly undercooked. The cookies will finish baking from the residual heat once you remove them from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can portion the dough right after mixing and refrigerate the dough balls for at least an hour before baking. However, the dough may be wet and sticky at this stage and you won’t be able to roll them into balls just yet.
- Either chocolate chips or chocolate wafers will work in this recipe. You can use a medium cookie scoop to make smaller cookies.
- Smaller cookies will bake faster, reduce the baking time by 2 – 3 minutes in this case.
- The cookie dough can be kept frozen once portioned. You can bake from frozen and increase baking time by 1 – 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Originally published on 12/15/2015. Updated and republished on 2/9/2021 with some small tweaks to the recipe, new photos, and more tips.
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how come my dough looks more like batter? I followed the recipe to the T
Your dough should resemble the process photo within the post, if it doesn’t then perhaps you accidentally measure something a little bit off. The recipe calls for 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk, did you perhaps use 2 whole eggs?
Hi from Brazil!
I‘ m trying this receipt just now. Waiting for the cookies to cool. Hope it works.
Thanks so much!
Hello Beatriz! I hope you enjoyed these cookies, thank you so much for visiting! 🙂
I haven’t even tried baking these and I can just tell they are DELICIOUS!
FIVE STARS!!!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I tried the recipe and it was perfect and was delicious also. I did’nt melt the butter my butter was at room temperture
Happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies! 🙂
Hiii! Can I delete the cocoa powder, red food coloring and white choco chips and turn them into chocolate chip cookies?
Hi Maria, I have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
Yes I know, but I’m asking you if I can do it ?
No, you’ll throw off the ingredients ratio.
Hi, do I have to melt the butter? Can I just use room temperature butter?
Hi Mary, you can use room temperature butter but melting butter gives the cookies a more chewy texture whereas softened butter will give it a more cakey texture. It’s up to you how you like it, but either way will work.
These look fantastic, can’t wait to try!! Do they freeze well?
Hey Tracey, you can definitely freeze them! I would portion them and freeze the dough balls in air tight container in one layer.
I love that colour. These look totally divine. A stack of these and a big glass of milk and I’m happy.
These are super fun for Valentine’s day and Christmas!
Hello,
May I ask why are we using egg yolk? Can I just add 2 eggs?
Hi Stephanie! Egg yolk has higher fat content and helps keep baked goods moist. Egg white has more protein and helps give it structure. Eggs also make up the liquid content of these cookies, I don’t recommend adding both eggs because this will be more liquid than called for in the recipe, which could result in loose cookie dough, too much spread in the oven. You could save the egg white and add it to scramble eggs for breakfast.
Thanks Bunches!!!
I made these cookies today and they are FANTABULOUS!!!…I will make them again….My daughter really enjoyed them…Thank you again for sharing ?
Excellent!! I’m so happy you love them and so happy to have you here 🙂
I will take 2 dozen to go please…I wish…Pinned!
Thanks Susan! 🙂