Red Velvet Sugar Cookies

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.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 9

Resting Time 1

Total Time 1 29

Servings cookies

Author Heather

Ingredients

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup (213 g) brown sugar
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
2-3 teaspoons red gel food coloring
3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour *measured properly
½ cup (42 g) natural cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

In a large bowl, add butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. 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℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop dough using a medium (1.5 tablespoon) scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls.
Add granulated sugar to a bowl and roll dough balls to cover all sides.
Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies begin to crack on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

* How to measure flour properly: Use a kitchen scale to measure flour for accurate results every time. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland cookies that don't spread properly.
Storage: 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.
Freezing: 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: 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.
More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!

Nutrition