Light cocoa flavor and a gorgeous scarlet hue make these Red Velvet Cookies irresistible. With white chocolate chips in each bite, these melt-in-your-mouth cookies add sweetness to Valentine's Day. . .or ANY day!
Place oven rack in the center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter, cream cheese, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for approximately 1-2 minutes until thoroughly combined, and batter clings to the side of the bowl.
With a spatula, scrape down the side of the bowl and add the whole egg. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add the egg yolk and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl again with the spatula and add the red food coloring and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
Add the flour mixture a little at a time and mix at a low speed just until they are combined.
Add 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips to the dough and mix until chips are evenly distributed. Reserve the remaining half cup of chips to use after the cookies bake.
To shape the cookies into balls, wet hands and slightly dry them on a paper towel. With your moist hands, roll 1-inch balls of dough and place them on your prepared baking pan.
Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies’ edges are crisp. The center can be slightly soft. The cookies will puff up while baking.
Once out of the oven, while the cookies are still warm, press several white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Use wet hands to shape the cookies. This dough will be very sticky. Dampen your hands with water before molding it into balls so you avoid getting more dough on your fingers than into the oven!
White chocolate chips. Substitute white chocolate chunks, or baking squares cut into small pieces for the morsels, if desired.
Adding chocolate chips after baking. Pressing additional white chocolate chips into the tops of each cook adds a professional flair. You can skip this step if you want to, but I love the pop of white against the deep red, especially for Valentine’s Day!
Don’t forget to sift! Sifting the flour and cocoa powder removes any lumps that could affect the smooth, velvety texture of the cookies.