Frosted Red Velvet Cookies
These Frosted Red Velvet Cookies are soft, chewy, and topped with a sweet and creamy buttercream frosting. Not only are they delicious but they look beautiful as well.
The luscious combination of rich red velvet flavor and smooth, creamy frosting is guaranteed to have everyone raving about them. Plus, their gorgeous appearance will steal the show on any dessert table!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with just the right amount of cocoa and creaminess, each bite is melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
- The fluffy frosting piles on even more flavor without being overly fussy.
- With their bold red hue, these cookies brighten up any dessert table.
- Unlike red velvet cake, these cookies are travel-friendly and less prone to mess.
- Add sprinkles, drizzle chocolate, or tint the frosting for a unique twist.
🛒Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Red food coloring
- Frosting
- Cream cheese
- Butter softened
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
- Mini chocolate chips
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Frosted Red Velvet Cookies
This is a quick overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat some more until light and fluffy.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until it forms a crumb mixture. Add in the red food coloring.
- Use a cookie scoop to make uniform-sized cookies. Place the cookies on a baking tray and place in a preheated oven to bake. Allow to come to room temperature.
- To make the frosting, place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the frosting is creamy.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag and use the desired tip to pipe the frosting on the top of each cookie.
- Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips.
🥄 Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Small bowl
- Whisk
- Cookie scoop
- Baking sheet or cookie sheet
- Piping bag with tip
🥫 Storage
Storing Freshly Baked Cookies: Place your frosted cookies in an air-tight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This keeps the frosting fresh and prevents the cookies from drying out.
Unfrosted Cookies: If you’d like to bake ahead, store unfrosted cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Frost them when you’re ready to serve.
Freezing Option: These cookies freeze well without the frosting. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Simply thaw and add the frosting before serving.
Serve With
- A simple glass of cold milk—classic!
- Red Velvet Baileys Hot Chocolate Recipe for winter coziness.
- A latte or this Copycat Starbucks S’mores Frappuccino for coffee lovers.
- Fresh berries for a fruity contrast.
- A scoop of vanilla or cream cheese ice cream for an extra-decadent dessert sandwich!
💭 Tips
- Measure Precisely: Red velvet recipes are all about delicate balance. Make sure to properly measure your cocoa powder and flour for that perfect texture.
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerating the dough for at least 30 minutes helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven—essential for that chewy consistency.
- Don’t Overbake: Keep an eye on your cookies, and bake until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Overbaking will make them dry.
- Use Gel Food Coloring: To get that vibrant red hue, use gel food coloring rather than liquid. It’s more concentrated and won’t affect the dough’s moisture.
- Room Temperature Frosting Ingredients: Ensure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature before whipping up the frosting. This results in a smoother, creamier consistency.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Absolutely. While homemade frosting elevates these cookies with a personal touch, store-bought cream cheese frosting works great in a pinch!
Opt for unsweetened cocoa powder, as it allows you to control the sweetness of the cookies. While Dutch-processed cocoa works too, it may alter the deep red color slightly.
Of course! Feel free to experiment with food coloring for other occasions—think green for St. Patrick’s Day or pink for a baby shower.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy Red Velvet try these delicious recipes:
- Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
- Red Velvet No Bake Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Red Velvet Cake Balls
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Frosted Red Velvet Cookies
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- small bowl
- Whisk
- Cookie scoop
- Baking sheet or cookie sheet
- Piping bag with tip
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Red food coloring
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat some more until light and fluffy.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until it forms a crumb mixture.
- Stop and add in the red food coloring (about 1 tsp red food gel was used in photos). Less coloring may be used.
- Mix in the red food coloring until the dough is a consistent color.
- Use a cookie scoop to make uniform sized cookies (1 ½ Tbsp was used).
- Place the cookies on a baking tray about 2” apart from each other and place in the oven to bake for 10-11 minutes.
- Remove and let the cookies come to room temperature.
- To make the frosting, place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the frosting is creamy.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag and use desired tip to pipe frosting on the top of each cookie (tip #2D was used).
- Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
