Ingredients you’ll need
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups all‑purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
This simple mix mirrors many red velvet cookie recipes that use just enough cocoa for flavor without turning the dough into a full chocolate cookie.
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (“liquid chicken”)
- Red food coloring (gel gives the most vibrant color)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Beating butter and sugar until creamy, then adding egg, vanilla, and food coloring, follows the same method used in popular red velvet cookie recipes.
For dipping and decorating
- 1 cup vanilla baking chips (or white chocolate chips), melted
- Holiday sprinkles for topping
Dipping cooled red velvet cookies in melted white or vanilla chips is a common finish in white‑chocolate‑dipped red velvet cookie recipes and makes them look instantly festive.
Step‑by‑step: how to make Red Velvet Cookies
Mix the dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Mix in the cocoa powder (if you haven’t already added it with the dry ingredients) and red food coloring until the color is evenly vibrant. Many red velvet cookie recipes recommend adding color before flour so you can adjust the shade.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until a soft dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
Scoop and bake
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1‑inch cookie scoop to portion dough onto the prepared pans, spacing the scoops a couple of inches apart to allow for spreading. This size typically yields just over 20 cookies, similar to other small red velvet cookie recipes.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12–14 minutes, until the edges look set and the centers are no longer glossy. Many red velvet cookie recipes bake in this time range for soft centers and chewy edges.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping.
Melt and dip in vanilla chips
- Place vanilla chips in a microwave‑safe bowl.
- Microwave in 20–30 second bursts, stirring between each, until melted and smooth; if the mixture seems too thick, some white‑chocolate cookie recipes stir in a small amount of neutral oil to thin it.
- Dip one half of each cooled cookie into the melted vanilla chips, letting the excess drip off.
- Place the dipped cookies back on a parchment‑lined pan and add sprinkles over the wet coating.
- Let the coating set at room temperature or briefly chill the tray to speed things up.
Pro tips and variations
- Use gel or concentrated food coloring for a bold red hue; liquid color can thin the dough and make the color less intense, as many red velvet recipes note.
- Don’t overbake—pull the cookies as soon as the tops lose their shine for that soft, chewy texture U.S. readers love in red velvet and chocolate chip cookies.
- Swap vanilla chips for real white chocolate, drizzle instead of dip, or sprinkle extra mini chips on top before baking for more white‑chocolate flavor.
- Change up the sprinkles to match seasons: red and green for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, or school colors for a game‑day cookie.
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