These delicious, no-chill red velvet sugar cookies bake up with chewy centers and crispy edges and are dipped in creamy white chocolate.

It’s a dreamy combination that will have you going back for seconds!
Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- Use a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
- Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! The color of the dough makes it hard to tell when they start to brown, so keep an eye on the texture of the top of the cookie. Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
- Gently flatten the baked cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they’re still warm. This makes the centers even more perfectly chewy!
- Melt the white chocolate gradually, heating it in 30-second intervals and stirring between. This will prevent the white chocolate from seizing and give you silky smooth melted white chocolate.
Substitutions and Swaps
This recipe uses quite a few ingredients, and I know you might not have them all on hand.
Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.
- Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place (and omit the salt)!
- Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of the cookies.
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar, but I prefer light! In a pinch, you can use granulated sugar in place of the brown sugar, but the cookies will spread more and be less chewy, and the flavor will be a bit different.
- 1 Large Egg– If you have an egg allergy, try using a flaxseed egg or a vegan egg replacer like this one made by Bob’s Red Mill.
- All-purpose flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.
- Cocoa Powder – Make sure you’re using unsweetened cocoa powder. I use the Hershey’s brand, but any brand will work. You can also use dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but the color of the cookies won’t be quite as vibrant.
- Gel Food Coloring – I used red gel food coloring to make these, but you can use whatever you have on hand. You can also use 1 Tbsp of liquid red food coloring in place of gel if needed.
How to Make These Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Let’s walk through each step of this recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!
I’ve also included a short video on how to make these cookies in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough
Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C and line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
Make the red velvet sugar cookie dough following the recipe card at the bottom of this post. After creaming together the butter and brown and granulated sugar, mix in the egg, vanilla, and red gel food coloring.


Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The dough should be pretty thick at this point!


Use a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop and roll about 21 cookie dough balls.
Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar, then place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.


Step 2: Bake the Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Bake for about 9 minutes, or until the cookies seem set around the edges and still a little puffy in the center.


I like to gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they’re still warm to give them super chewy centers, but this is optional.


Then let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Step 3: Dip the Cookie in White Chocolate
Dip about 1/3 of each cookie into the melted white chocolate, and let any excess run off.
Scrape the excess chocolate from the bottom of each cookie on the bowl’s edge to prevent pooling.


Then place them on a piece of parchment paper or silicone mat to let the white chocolate firm up (it usually takes mine about 30 minutes at room temperature).
If desired, add some nonpareils along the edge of the white chocolate, then enjoy!
How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?
The recipe makes 21 total cookies using a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop.
If you want to make more cookies, you can double the ingredients and make a double batch using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
You can also halve this recipe to make 10 cookies (use an egg yolk).
You can also make mini red velvet sugar cookies that are half the size, and end up with 42 little cookies! Scoop them using a 3/4 Tbsp cookie scoop and bake for 7-8 minutes at 350°F/175°C.
Making These Red Velvet Sugar Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips
This cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to bake them, let the dough thaw to room temperature, scoop the cookies, and bake them.
Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for a month.

Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this recipe for snow-capped red velvet sugar cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.
Snow-Capped Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 113g
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar 133g
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 66g
- 1 large egg, room temperature 56g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5g
- 1 tsp red gel food coloring (I love Americolor or Chef Master)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa, sifted if lumpy 6g
- 1 tsp baking soda 6g
- 1/4 tsp fine salt 1g
Decorations – Optional
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling – optional 50g
- 1 cup good quality white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate, melted 175g
- 1 Tbsp Christmas nonpareil sprinkles – optional
Instructions
Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C and line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
- Cream together 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted, softened butter, 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar, and 1/3 cup (66g) light brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on a medium-high speed with an electric mixer until the mixture becomes lighter in color (about 2 minutes). It's important that the butter is soft to the touch, otherwise you will have a hard time mixing the dry ingredients into the dough.
- Mix in 1 egg (56g), 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract, and about 1 tsp of red gel food coloring on a medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- Then mix 2 cups (250g) flour (NOTE: If you're using a cup measure and not a scale, you need to fluff the flour in the bag, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it with a knife. This is how you properly measure flour when baking, otherwise you'll end up using a lot more than the recipe calls for 🙂 ), 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (6g), 1 tsp baking soda (6g), and 1/4 tsp salt (1g) into the wet ingredients on a low speed until combined. It takes a bit of mixing to come together, so if it looks a little dry, keep mixing! The dough should be quite thick once it's ready to be scooped.
- Use a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop and roll about 21 cookie dough balls.
- Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar, then place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 9 minutes, or until the cookies seem set in the center.
- I like to gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they're still warm to give them super chewy centers, but this is optional. Then let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
White Chocolate Snow Cap
- Dip about 1/3 of each cookie into the melted white chocolate, and let any excess run off. Scrape the excess white chocolate from the bottom of each cookie on the bowl’s edge to prevent pooling.
- Place them on a piece of parchment paper or silicone mat to let the white chocolate firm up. The white chocolate usually sets in about 30 minutes at room temperature. If desired, add some nonpareils along the edge of the white chocolate, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- Use a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
- Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! The color of the dough makes it hard to tell when they start to brown, so keep an eye on the texture of the top of the cookie. Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
- Gently flatten the baked cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they’re still warm. This makes the centers even more perfectly chewy!
- Melt the white chocolate gradually, heating it in 30-second intervals and stirring between. This will prevent the white chocolate from seizing and give you silky smooth melted white chocolate.
Making These Cookies in Advance and Storing Them
This cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to bake them, let the dough thaw to room temperature, scoop the cookies, and bake them. Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for a month.Nutrition
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Zoe
Sunday 11th of January 2026
These are delicious and were one of the favourites in my Christmas cookie boxes!
Rebeca Guevara
Saturday 3rd of January 2026
I love it. These cookies Taste great and are easy to bake. The only problem i had was with the white chocolate, I bought Turin (which is supposedly not that bad) but was watery like and the chocolate looked a little transparent... I will try to use less temperature. Thank you from Mexico ??
Chelsey White
Monday 5th of January 2026
So happy to hear it Rebeca!! That does sound a little odd, next time you can try heating it on a lower heat or maybe try a different brand! Hope that helps, and thanks for sharing :) Happy baking!
Mary
Thursday 1st of January 2026
Name is misleading. I would not say these are red velvet, it is the most mild of chocolate flavor. Mine were a slightly odd texture as others have put it, and more like a pink sugar cookie.
Chelsey White
Monday 5th of January 2026
Hi Mary,
Sorry to hear this wasn't a hit for you! These have a nice hint of cocoa, which is what I associate with red velvet as a flavor. What type of cocoa powder did you use? And what type and brand of food coloring? If you used the type of gel food coloring the recipe calls for, they should have had a nice red color! Hopefully we'll be able to figured out what happened!
Sandra
Monday 29th of December 2025
I made these a couple days before Christmas for gift giving--- Our neighbor said they were the BEST cookies he had ever had in his life!! WOW - compliments for you & me both??? I had a little bit of trouble with the dipping process so just did an outer rim on 1/2 of the cookie, rolled in crushed candy cane? Thank you!! so much!
I will definitely make these over & over again!
Chelsey White
Monday 5th of January 2026
Omg yesss! I am so happy to hear that Sandra :) Thank you for sharing!!
Sandra
Monday 29th of December 2025
I meant to give it 5 stars! ?????
Hettie
Monday 29th of December 2025
Really tasty and easy to make. I've already had people asking me to make more as they didn't last very long. I may try to make some mini ones next and think these may be my new go to cookie recipe
Chelsey White
Monday 29th of December 2025
Yessss!! That's so great to hear, I bet mini ones would be so fun!!! Happy baking Hettie :)