Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

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Learn how to make these soft, fudgy, and super easy red velvet crinkle cookies! They're not-too-sweet and perfect for the holidays or Valentine's Day.

Prep Time5

Cook Time9

Chill time30

Total Time44

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: red velvet crinkle cookies

Calories: 227kcal

Author: Bianca Fernandez

Equipment

Kitchen scale/measuring cups
Measuring spoons
1 large mixing bowl for mixing dough
1 silicone spatula
1 Medium cookie scoop 2-3 tablespoon capacity
2 Cookie sheets
Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar optional, see notes

Wet ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar packed
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
1 egg room temperature
gel red food coloring

For rolling:

¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup powdered sugar

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Instructions

For the red velvet cookie dough:

In a large bowl, use silicone spatula to mix melted ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder until smooth.
Mix in 1 egg, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and gel red food coloring until smooth. Add more food coloring as needed.
Add in all of the dry ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, and ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar. Mix until no dry spots remain.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

Scoop & bake cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Add ¼ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup powdered sugar to their own bowls.
Use cookie dough scoop to gather dough (2-3 tablespoons). Roll in granulated sugar, then powdered sugar, and place on lined baking tray, spacing cookies about 3-4 inches apart. Repeat with remaining cookie dough balls.
Once the tray is full, roll each ball again in a second layer powdered sugar. Make sure there are no purple spots peaking through!
Bake one tray at a time for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are set and centers look mostly cooked through.
For the perfectly aesthetic cookie (optional!), place a large circular cutter or mug on top of a freshly baked, warm cookie. Move it around in a circular motion until your cookie is perfectly round.
Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

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Notes

Red velvet cookies are known to have a hint of chocolate flavor with a bit of tang. For that tang, traditional red velvet recipes have buttermilk or vinegar. Instead of adding more liquid, I used a pinch of cream of tartar! If you'd like to omit it, feel free to do so. :)

Baking tip:

Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.

Storage instructions:

If you’d like to make these red velvet cookies ahead of time, you can freeze raw cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Roll frozen balls in sugars right before baking, making sure to add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

- Room temperature: Store cooled red velvet crinkles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

- Freezing instructions: Store cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

- Reheating instructions: Allow frozen crinkle cookies to thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Or, reheat in the microwave at 10-second intervals.

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