Red velvet sugar cookies are soft and chewy, made with a hint of cocoa and a crunchy sugar crust. They're easy to make from scratch for Christmas and Valentine's Day.
If you love red velvet cupcakes, you may want to give these sugar cookies a try. They've got that buttery chocolate-vanilla flavor mixed with the soft and chewy texture of a sugar cookie.
Just like a traditional sugar cookie, these red velvet cookies are rolled in granulated sugar to add a crunchy sugar crust. They're made with just a hint of cocoa for a soft chocolatey flavor, then colored red with gel food coloring.
Make a batch of red velvet sugar cookies for your next holiday cookie tray. They're perfect for Christmas and Valentine's Day!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Unsalted butter - Butter should be room temperature to easily incorporate with the other ingredients and create a smooth, even dough. If using salted butter, omit the salt listed in the recipe.
- Sugars - We're using a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe for optimal texture and flavor. Granulated sugar helps aerate the butter when creaming the two together, which helps lift your cookies as they bake. Brown sugar adds a caramelized, molasses flavor and chewy texture to your cookies.
- Eggs - Room temperature eggs incorporate seamlessly into the dough and add moisture and structure.
- Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavor of your cookies.
- Milk - I used whole milk, but any milk you have on hand works in this recipe, like skim milk, 1% milk, or almond milk.
- Gel food coloring - Gel food coloring can be substituted with liquid food coloring at a 1:2 ratio. Gel food coloring is more concentrated, so you'll need twice as much liquid food coloring to achieve the same color intensity.
- All-purpose flour - Adds structure to your cookies and balances the wet ingredients in the recipe. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flours, so I can't say for sure how your cookies would turn out with substitutions. To avoid wasting ingredients, I highly suggest searching for a recipe that has been developed with the type of flour you'd like to use.
- Natural cocoa powder - Just enough cocoa powder is added to darken the cookies and add a hint of chocolate flavor. I haven't tested this recipe with Dutch cocoa powder, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out.
- Leavening - You'll need baking soda for this recipe - it cannot be substituted with baking powder, the two are not interchangeable.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your cookies without making them "salty". If using salted butter, the salt listed in the recipe can be omitted.
Tips and tricks
- Room temperature ingredients create a consistent, creamy, and even dough. When beaten, the eggs, sugar, and butter form an emulsion, which traps air in the dough, baking up into a soft and fluffy cookie.
- Properly measuring flour is an issue I see frequently. If you have issues with cookies not spreading, turning out extra thick and tall, or tasting bland, you probably measured too much flour into your cookie dough.
- To properly measure flour, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, then level off with a knife. By scooping flour directly from a container with your measuring cup, you're compacting the dough into the cup. This can add up to 25% more flour to your dough.
- Using parchment paper helps prevent your cookies from spreading too much while baking. A greased baking pan guarantees your cookies spread more than they should. I always suggest parchment paper (or a reusable baking mat) instead.
For more tips, check out my full post: 10 tips for baking cookies.
Frequently asked questions
Red velvet is a cake with a complex flavor. Not just chocolate cake or vanilla cake - it's a combination of both, but at the same time something more.
It's a blend of vanilla, chocolate, and butter, with a little tang from the addition of buttermilk and vinegar. While we're not adding buttermilk to our cookies today, you will find that familiar combination of vanilla, chocolate and butter.
Looking for more information on the history of red velvet cake? Wikipedia: Red Velvet Cake
If you don't have food coloring on hand, or don't want to use it, feel free to omit it from the recipe. Food coloring does not affect the outcome of the recipe, but your cookies will turn out a medium brown instead of the deep red shown.
Looking for a chocolate sugar cookie recipe? Try my Dutch cocoa cookies recipe.
I have not tried this recipe with alternative coloring methods, like beetroot. If you do give it a try, let us know how it turns out in the comments below!
Cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
Yes, baked cookies and cookie dough both freeze well, for three months or more when stored in optimal conditions.
I recommend portioning cookie dough into balls before freezing. Store in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container or bag. Dough can be transferred directly from the freezer to cookie sheet and bake from frozen, adding about 1-2 minutes to your baking time. Frozen cookie dough will spread slightly less in the oven.
Baked, completely cooled cookies can be frozen for 3 months or more. Tightly seal in a freezer safe container, squeezing out all excess air. To thaw, place on the countertop to bring to room temperature for about 1 hour.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large (2 large) eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) milk
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) red gel food coloring
- 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (42 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1 ½ teaspoons) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add butter and sugars. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until fluffy, about a minute. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until mixture looks fluffy, about a minute. Add red gel food coloring and milk, stirring to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk (or sift) together the flour, cocoa salt, and baking soda. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined.
- Cover bowl or wrap dough in wax paper. Chill for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator. Refrigerating helps the flavors meld and also create a firmer dough to roll into balls.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar.
- Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 9-11 minutes, or until cookies begin to crack on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- Raw cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cookie dough balls (and baked cookies) freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen balls to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Red food coloring can be omitted if desired. However, cookies will turn out a medium brown color instead of red as shown. Gel can be substituted with liquid food coloring at a 1:2 ratio.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Can liquid food coloring be used instead of gel or would that not be a wise idea? 🙂
Liquid food coloring should work in this recipe, but you may not get quite as vibrant of a red color.
OK thanks Heather! Do you think I would use less or the same amount?
Same amount would be fine Kendra.
Great recipe! I made a Valentine Charcuterie Board & these were the #1 fave!
Hi Alli, so glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies! Valentine's Day charcuterie - what a great idea 😀