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Red Velvet Sugar Cookies are a roll and cut cookie with the classic red color and delicious red velvet flavor. Topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting, these cookies are always a win!
Red Velvet Cookies
Red velvet sugar cookies are a tender and delicious cookie with that incredible red color and flavor in every bite. With a nice amount of cream cheese frosting over the top, you have yourself a tasty treat that’s hard to beat.
With these easy red velvet sugar cookies you can impress everyone around the holidays, or throughout the year. The red color is perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or a patriotic holiday like the Fourth of July. Of course, red velvet is such a classic that no one would mind in the slightest if you decided to make it on a random Wednesday afternoon.
What’s In Red Velvet Sugar Cookies?
- Butter- Room temperature butter is what you’ll need. I always use salted butter, so if you are using unsalted butter make sure to add a pinch of salt to the dough!
- Sugar- Granulated sugar and granulated sugar only in this recipe since it is an adaptation of my Classic Sugar Cookie recipe.
- Egg- You’ll just need one egg.
- Vanilla
- Flour- All-purpose flour is what we will use. No need for any fancy flours!
- Cocoa Powder- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, whatever brand is your favorite. To be honest, I usually use the store brand’s. 😉
- Baking Powder
- Red Food Coloring- If you have Gel Food Coloring, that is the best for this recipe. I purchase my gel food coloring in a squirt bottle from Hobby Lobby.
- Cream Cheese Frosting– This consists of butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.
How to Make Red Velvet Cookies
We will bake the cookies in a 350° oven, so first thing to do: preheat that oven! These cookies are made using the same method and order that the majority of cookie recipes use.
First, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and fluffy. Add in the liquids (the egg and vanilla) until it is thoroughly combined. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa and baking powder). The texture of this cookie dough will be similar to play-doh. The very last thing we will do is mix in the red food coloring.
Now it is time to roll the dough out and cut with cookie cutters. I always roll this dough in between two pieces of parchment paper to insure I don’t accidentally turn my counter red from the food dye. 😉
It is important to note that the cookies will not rise or grow while baking, so however thick you want your final cookie is how thick you should roll the dough to begin with.
Cut your cookies and transfer to your cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and no longer glossy on top. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet and then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Should I Use Liquid Food Coloring or Gel?
I recommend using gel because the colors are always more vibrant and because of the texture being thicker the recipe isn’t as affected. A wet food coloring means that the wet to dry ratio might be a little off and yield a wetter or stickier dough. You can find gel food coloring in the Wilton cake decorating section of Walmart or a craft store.
Can I Freeze Red Velvet Sugar Cookies?
Absolutely! Just let the cookies cool completely before placing them into a zipper topped bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw before eating. You can Freeze the unfrosted or frosted. If choosing to frost before freezing, freeze flat on a baking sheet before transferring to a container so that they don’t stick together.
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More Cookies to Check Out!
- My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Rocky Road Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Funfetti Cookies
- Twix Cookies
Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- red food coloring, gel is best
- 1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for a full 3 minutes.
- Scrape sides and add in vanilla and egg. Mix until combined.
- Add flour, cocoa and baking powder to the bowl. Mix slowly at first gradually getting faster until the dough comes together. The texture should be like Playdoh. Add a little flour or water if needed to get it to a soft, pliable consistency.
- Add in red food coloring until the dough has a brilliant red color.
- Turn out onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin and roll until about 1/4 inch thick. (The cookies will not rise while baking, they will not get thinner while baking. Roll out to your desired FINISHED thickness.) (I suggest rolling onto floured parchment paper to make sure we don't turn any counter tops red!)
- Use cookie cutters and cut out desired shapes. Transfer the cookies to a silicone lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until the centers are puffy and no longer glossy. Pull the cookies out of the oven BEFORE they start turning brown. If they turn brown, the cookie will be dry and 'crackery' instead of soft and chewy.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting once cooled.
I have a question… Can these be made using Red Velvet Emulsions? I am looking forward to making these!!!!! I am a HUGE fan of your recipes! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Hey Amy- If you’d like to just use the emulsion, you could just use my regular sugar cookie recipe and use the emulsions instead of vanilla!