Alex's Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
My daughter's creation. The red velvet crinkle cookies are perfectly crisp outside and lightly chewy at the center. The cream cheese filling creates a delightful salty contrast that prevents the sweet cookies from becoming cloying.
Servings 30 two-inch cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 generous pinch nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar loosely packed
- ⅛ teaspoon red food color
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 250-gram block cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup butter softened to room temperature
- 2 to 3 cups sifted powdered sugar (measure after sifting) depending on how sweet you want the frosting
Instructions
Make the red velvet crinkle cookies
- Heat the butter in a pan until golden brown. Remove immediately from the heat and cool.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa powder, nutmeg and salt.
- Mix the cooled browned butter, white and dark brown sugars, and red food color together.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until blended.
- Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. You can't skip this part because the cookie dough has to be firm enough to form into balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and form into one-inch balls.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough generously in powdered sugar.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls on a baking tray lined with a silicone mat or non-stick paper. Make sure that they are at least two inches apart.
- Bake the cookies at 350F for 11 to 12 minutes or until the tops are cracked and crisp but the centers are still lightly chewy.
- Move the red velvet crinkle cookies to a rack and cool completely.
Make the cream cheese filling (see notes after the recipe)
- Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar, half a cup at a time, mixing after each addition until smooth.
Fill the red velvet crinkle cookies
- Spread about a teaspoonful of cream cheese mixture on the underside of half of the cookies.
- Sandwich the filling using the remaining half.
Notes
The cream cheese filling is optional because the cookies are great by themselves.
If you decide you want the filling anyway, go for it. If you have leftover filling, keep in a tightly covered container in the fridge and use within a day or two.
Without the filling, the red velvet crinkle cookies can be frozen and they will stay good for two to three weeks. To serve, simply take out of the fridge and leave to soften a bit. They can be served while still cold.
