If you ask me, these red velvet crinkle cookies breathe Christmas. For years these Christmas cookies have been on my baking list and I finally got around to making them. They’re perfect for both Valentine’s Day and Christmas!
I had to go back to the kitchen three times before I could write down this recipe for red velvet crinkle cookies. Well, that’s just how it works sometimes. The first and second attempts were not necessarily ‘failures’, but they were not what I had in mind. The cookies had to be nice and round when baked, and I wanted both the cocoa (typical for red velvet) and the white chocolate to come through in terms of flavor.
All’s well that ends well, three attempts later, and I was totally successful. So, in today’s recipe, I can explain to you in great detail how to make these red velvet crinkle cookies with pieces of white chocolate. I think these red velvet cookies are a real Christmas cookie. Don’t they look perfectly festive?
As you might have guessed these pretty little chewy cookies get their name from the crinkles which they get from rolling the ball of dough through powdered sugar just before going into the oven. Then while baking the cookies rise a bit and burst open, creating the iconic crinkle effect.
I love the crinkle effect. I have made chocolate crinkle cookies before, but these red velvet crinkle cookies are the perfect cookies for the holiday season for me.
Making this red velvet crinkle cookie recipe is super easy to do. Just a few tips to get you started. When creaming the softened butter and the sugar in a large bowl (the first step in the cookie making process) make sure the mixture is light and creamy before you start adding the eggs one by one. I like to do this in a stand mixer as that is the easiest way to do it. But if you do not have one you can also use a hand mixer.
Just a note on the sugar; I use regular white sugar. Brown sugar is also an option but will make the baked cookies a lot less vibrant in color.
In a small bowl you add the other dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and unsweetened cocoa powder) Mix it well before adding the red gel food coloring. You want to have enough food coloring for that beautiful vibrant red color. The last step is to add the white chocolate into the dough. Do this on a low speed for best results.
Now wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill dough for at least two hours. Once it is chilled enough take it out of the fridge and roll the cookie dough balls into the size or a 2 euro or dollar coin. (or roughly a one inch ball). Now it’s time for the sugar coating. Roll each ball through a plate filled with confectioners’ sugar. You can repeat this twice if you want an extra crinkle effect.
Now it’s time to bake cookies! Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool to room temperature on a wire rack. They keep in an airtight container for 4 to 6 weeks!
If you love Christmas cookies as much as I do, you will love my tips for baking Christmas cookies. It’s a fun activity to do when it’s cold and gloomy outside or during the Christmas holidays!
The dough may not have been left to cool long enough, or you may have waited too long after cooling to put them in the oven. Another possibility is that you have added too much liquid coloring, which has affected the texture of the dough. I explain in this article why you should chill your dough.
I like to use a Wilton food coloring paste, it is a very concentrated color so you only need a small amount. For the reddest cookie you could also try reducing the amount of cocoa powder, but this will again be at the expense of flavor.
In theory, you should be able to color these red velvet crinkle cookies with a natural food coloring, but I haven’t tested it for you in this recipe, so I don’t have any specific tips. I will however soon post an article with the best tips on using natural food coloring.
No, it’s not necessary and I prefer that you don’t flatten them. The cookies will form on their own during baking, resulting in a beautiful crinkled cookie.
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