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image of a red velvet crinkle cookie that's been bitten into
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5 from 74 ratings

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

These red velvet crinkle cookies bake up perfectly chewy and soft and are streaked with those gorgeous powdered sugar crinkles!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 cookies
Calories: 152kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 125g
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 12g
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 56g
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 66g
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
  • 1 large egg, room temperature 56g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
  • 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
  • 2/3 cup mini white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate - optional 115g

Cookie Dusting Mixture

  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar 40g
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar 66g

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
  • Whisk together 1 cup flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 3/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Use a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to cream together 1/4 cup butter, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl. Mix on a medium-high speed until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
  • Then mix in 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring on a medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on a low speed just until incorporated. The dough should be thick and a little bit sticky! If desired, fold 2/3 cup of mini white chocolate chips into the dough with a rubber spatula.
  • Scoop the dough using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop and roll it into 16 balls.
  • Combine 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl and toss each cookie in the sugar mixture. Be sure to completely coat each cookie and aim to get a thick coating of sugar.
  • Place the cookies on the prepared sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Then lightly flatten each ball to resemble a hockey puck. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time, and bake for 9-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes on the baking tray before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Bake time can vary if you make smaller or larger cookies, so keep an eye on them!
  • Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

Yield

This recipe can be used to make 16 cookies using about 1 Tbsp of dough in each cookie. The yield and bake time can vary based on the size of your cookies.
This recipe can be halved or doubled to make more or less cookies. You can also make smaller red velvet crinkle cookies to increase the yield, just be sure to adjust the bake time accordingly.

Making These Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between them.
Scooped cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to a month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to bake the cookies and wait to roll them in the sugar mixture until right before they're baked.
Baked cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container. The only downside is that some of the powdered sugar can dissolve as they thaw, so they won't look quite as pretty!

Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

  • Really cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
  • Don’t overwork your cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough and dense cookies. Once the flour is added, mix on a slow speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
  • Lightly flatten the cookie dough balls out to a consistent thickness of about 1/2 inch. This will help them spread and get those beautiful crinkles, and help the cookies bake more evenly.
  • Sprinkle a little extra powdered sugar mixture over the cookies once they're on your baking tray to give you a beautiful finished look. Sometimes the cookies can absorb the powdered sugar as they sit, and adding a little extra right before baking the cookies helps counteract that.
  • Don’t overbake your cookies. Err of the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 72mg | Sugar: 17g