Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Thick, chewy cookies with a hint of chocolate flavor and a beautiful crackled surface, these Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are a festive treat for Valentine’s Day or Christmas!

stack of red velvet crinkle cookies on white plate

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Who loves red velvet cake? And cookies? Then youโ€™re in for a treat with these special red velvet cookies! Soft and chewy edges are coated in white crinkles, then dusted with powdered sugar. These decadent cookies are a total treat that can be made from scratch in 30 minutes or less!

Crinkle cookies get their name from the distinctive crackled pattern on top. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. I’ve seen them made with chocolate dough, so I though red velvet would be fun too!

Red velvet is chocolate flavored…it just seems a bit more luxurious thanks to that gorgeous ruby color! These crinkle cookies are the perfect cookie for any holiday season but especially for Valentine’s Day!

Related: Try our Red Velvet Cinnamon Roll recipe too!

I’ve seen recipes for red velvet crinkles that use cake mix — and while I am definitely a fan of cake mix cookies, this recipe is actually quite easy to bake from scratch. So why not give it a try?

two plates filled with red velvet cookies, with powdered sugar

Ingredients

For your convenience in re-creating this recipe, Iโ€™ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products we used. Disclosure policy availableย here.

  • Flour
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Butter (softened)
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Salt
  • Baking Powder
  • Large Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • No-Taste Red Gel Food Coloring
  • Confectioner’s Sugar

Kitchen Tools Used

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies viewed from above

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

1. Make the Batter

Add butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer. Cream together using paddle attachment (if using a stand mixer).

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium low speed, until fully incorporated. Beat in the pure vanilla extract and vinegar.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Slowlyย pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing as you add.

2. Make it Red

When the batter is well incorporated, add a teaspoon of red food coloring and mix. If needed, add more food coloring, a few drops at a time, until you have your desired shade of red.

3. Coat in Sugar

Fill a small bowl about halfway with powdered sugar. Scoop about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dough (a cookie scoop is helpful for this) and drop into the bowl of powdered sugar.

Roll the dough ball in the sugar until the entire surface is well coated.

4. Bake

Place the sugar coated dough balls on the prepared pan, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the tops crack.ย Remove pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

4 step photo collage showing how to make red velvet cookie batter and coat in powdered sugar

Move to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

 

Close up view of Red Velvet Cookies, with cracked surface

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Do the Cookies Stay Good?

These homemade crinkle cookies can stay good for 3-5 days when kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigeration is not necessary (and could actually dry out the cookies).

Can You Freeze Them?

You can freeze the cookies too, keeping them for up to 1-2 months. Individually wrap each cookie and place in a large freezer bag. That way you can remove one cookie at a time when a chocolate craving hits!

What is “No Taste” Food Coloring?

Most of the time, you won’t notice an aftertaste from food coloring. However, when you have to use more than a few drops (as is the case for this recipe) to achieve a dark color, this can actually affect the taste of the final product. Some gel and liquid food colorings DO have a noticeable bitter aftertaste when used in large quantities.

The solution is “no taste” food coloring, which is specifically formulated to be used in larger quantities, without any aftertaste. Simply look for food coloring that is labeled as such. (I put a suggestion for no taste red food coloring in our ingredient list near the beginning of the blog post).

Why Didn’t My Crinkle Cookies Crack?

The distinctive crinkle effect is caused by the outside of the cookies drying out while the interior is still wet. As the interior continues to cook and expand, it pulls apart the dry coating, causing these surface fissures.

If your crinkle cookies didn’t crack, it could be caused by a few issues:

  • The baking powder is old. Baking powder is a leavening agent that causes baked goods to rise. If it is expired, the cookies won’t rise enough to crack their surface.
  • The oven wasn’t hot enough. We need a hot oven to cooke the exterior of the cookies a bit faster than the interior. Make sure that your oven has fully preheated before putting the cookies inside to bake. You may also want to check and make sure your oven is the right temperature, by using an oven thermometer.
  • There wasn’t enough sugar coating.ย The powdered sugar coating on the outside of our dough balls helps to dry out the surface of the cookies so that they crack. Be sure that your dough balls are thoroughly covered in the icing sugar before dropping them onto the baking sheet.

For an extra deep crackle, you can roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before you roll them in powdered sugar. Granulated sugar has an even more pronounced drying effect on the dough.

More of our Most Popular Cookie Recipes:

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A plate of Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Thick, chewy cookies with a hint of chocolate flavor and a beautiful crackled surface, theseย Red Velvet Crinkle Cookiesare a festive treat for Valentine's Day or Christmas!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crinkle cookies, red velvet, red velvet cookies
Servings: 24 Cookies
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
Cost: $8

Equipment

  • Stand mixer
  • Baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ยฐF and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
  • Cream butter and sugar with stand mixer or electric hand mixer.
  • Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between, until incorporated.
  • Mix in the vanilla and vinegar.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
  • Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing as you add.
  • Mix in a teaspoon of food coloring. If needed, add more food coloring a few drops at a time, until you have your desired shade of red.
  • Fill a small bowl halfway with powdered sugar. Drop scoops of cookie dough (about 1 1/2 TB) into the bowl of powdered sugar, rolling to coat completely.
    4 step photo collage showing how to make red velvet crinkle cookies
  • Place dough balls on the cookie sheet about two inches apart and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the tops crack.
  • Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate only; your actual values will vary based on ingredients used and serving size.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 138IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

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2 photo vertical collage of red colored cookies coated in powdered sugar; text overlay "Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies"

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Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
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