Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

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These Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are a soft, rich and delicious cookie with the perfect hint of chocolate. Rolled in powdered sugar for a beautiful crackled white outside and fluffy red cookie inside, they’ll be everybody’s new favorite sweet treat!

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies stacked on plate

Red velvet recipes are always a favorite around the holidays, and these crinkle cookies are no exception! As the powdered sugar covered cookie dough bakes, they begin to spread, making cracks in the surface that reveal the pillowy soft red velvet inside. These gorgeous cookies make the ultimate Valentine’s Day or Christmas cookies and are guaranteed to be a hit with everyone!

If you’re looking for easy and festive Valentine’s Day recipes to make for your special someone, try these Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies, Red Velvet Brownies or cute heart shaped Cherry Hand Pies. They’re all so fun and delicious, everyone will be asking you for recipes!

Why We Love this Red Velvet Version of Crinkle Cookies

Simple ingredients: Even though these are cookies from scratch instead of a red velvet cake mix, you’ll love the simple ingredient list that uses pantry items you probably already have on hand.
Beautiful presentation: When you want a dessert or sweet snack for a special occasion that will look pretty AND taste amazing, you can’t go wrong with the gorgeous red color of these cookies. The contrast with the white powdered sugar really makes them stand out on your holiday cookie tray. Add them alongside these Gingerbread Reindeer Cookies and Butterball cookies for a fun variety!
Taste and texture: These are honestly the best cookies you’ll ever make. They have a slight cocoa flavor, and the soft and chewy texture is true perfection!

Ingredients for Red Velvet Cookies

1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
½ Cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
2 Eggs
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1-2 tsp No-Taste Red Food Coloring (we used gel food coloring)
½ Cup Powdered Sugar

How to Make the Best Red Velvet Cookies

Step 1: Place the top oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Put the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.

Step 3: Whisk together until well combined.

Step 4: Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl or in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until well incorporated.

Step 5: Then begin to add in eggs, one at a time, into the sugar mixture. Mix on low speed in between additions until they are all incorporated.

Step 6: Add in vanilla and vinegar and continue mixing until well mixed.

Bowl of wet ingredients and bowl of dry ingredients for crinkle cookies

Step 7: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture mixing after each addition until all the flour mixture has been added and is well incorporated.

Dry ingredients mixed with wet ingredients

Step 8: Add in a teaspoon of food coloring and mix until evenly mixed.

Red food coloring for red velvet crinkle cookies

If you want more of a deep red color, add more food coloring and continue mixing.

Step 9: Place powdered sugar in a small bowl or shallow dish. Using a cookie scoop, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of the cookie dough at a time and drop into confectioners’ sugar. Roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar until round and evenly coated. Continue until the remaining dough is rolled up.

Mixing ingredients for red velvet crinkle cookies

Step 10: Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about two inches apart.

Red velvet crinkle cookie dough on baking sheet

Step 11: Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops are cracked, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Crinkle Cookie Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Best Way to Store Crinkle Cookies?

To Store: Your room temperature cookies can be stored in an airtight container in a single layer. Use a piece of wax paper between the layers so you don’t mess up the pretty sugary coating.

To Freeze: In the unlikely event you have leftovers, just stick the baked cookies in an airtight, freezer safe container. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months

Can I Make this Cookie Dough in Advance?

You sure can! You can make the dough up to a couple days in advance and store in the fridge. You can also make red velvet dough in advance and freeze for up to 4-5 months. For best results, once you have rolled and coated them in powdered sugar, place them in a single layer on a baking tray. Stick them in the freezer just until they are frozen firm. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and store them in the freezer until you’re ready for them.

When ready to thaw, just stick them in the fridge overnight. If the powdered sugar has absorbed too much into the dough, you can give them another roll in the powdered sugar prior to baking.

Why Do My Cookies Flatten Out Too Much?

There are a few reasons this could be happening, but the most common is using expired baking powder. Be sure and check that date!

Another reason that your red velvet crinkle cookies spread too much in baking is because there wasn’t enough flour added. The fat from the butter will cause a flat cookie if you don’t add the proper amount of dry ingredients.

One of the less common reason your cookies could flatten out is cooking at too low of a temp. But, if you seem to have this problem with other cookie recipes, raise your oven temp by 5-10 degrees and see if that solves the problem.

Red velvet crinkle cookies stacked on white plate

Add-ins Variations for Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

White chocolate chips: If you want to add extra chocolate flavor to your cookies, white chocolate chips look beautiful studded throughout the cookies and they taste amazing too.

Nuts: If you like a little added crunch, you can add about a half a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough.

Flavoring: Vanilla extract works great with the other ingredients in these cookies, but if you’re making them for Christmas, peppermint extract adds a unique and unexpected flavor to the red velvet. For a more intense chocolate flavor, you can add a touch of mocha extract.

Want More Delicious Cookie Recipes?

Looking for more red velvet desserts? If you love these cookies, you’ll also want to try these red velvet brownies and this decadent red velvet fudge!

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