Red velvet crinkle cookies are rich, thick and fudgy cookies with a hint of cocoa flavor. These red velvet cookies are rolled in both sugar and powdered sugar before baking to give them that signature crinkle top. Make these red crinkle cookies for an easy and festive holiday cookie.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
Red velvet recipes are some of my favorite recipes to make. My Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, Red Velvet Brownies, Red Velvet Oreos, Red Velvet Cake Pops and Red Velvet Muffins are quick, easy and delicious red velvet inspired recipes that I love. I am so excited to add these festive red crinkle cookies to the blog. Here’s why I know you’ll love them too.
- They are quick and easy. All you need to do is make the red velvet cookie dough, chill the dough while the oven preheats, roll the dough balls in both regular and powdered sugar, bake and enjoy!
- You love an easy and festive cookie recipe. With bright red cookie popping through the white powdered sugar crinkle top, these easy to make, almost one bowl cocoa flavored red crinkle cookies are the festive cookie for the holiday season.
Ingredients
These thick and chewy velvet crinkle cookies require only a handful of pantry basics to make. Here’s what you need to make these crackle top cookies.
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and red gel food coloring.
- Sugar Coating Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
Substitutions
These red crinkle cookies are easy to make, but in case you need to substitute an ingredient, here are my recommended substitutions to make these cookies.
- All purpose flour: To make this cookie recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight in grams (240 g) than cup for cup.
- Baking Powder: This recipe for red velvet crinkle cookies hasn’t been tested with baking soda in place of baking powder.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar: This crinkle cookie recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a nice background flavor to these red velvet cookies.
- Red Gel Food Coloring: To make these velvet crinkles a vibrant red, I use a red gel food coloring from Americolor. This recipe really works best with gel food coloring. However, if you don’t mind the cookies having a more muted reddish brown color, use a plant based food coloring.
Variations
- Cake Mix Crinkle Cookies: Use my Lemon Cake Mix Cookies recipe with these changes- swap the lemon cake mix with red velvet cake mix and omit the lemon juice and zest. If you like, replace the lemon juice with vanilla extract.
- White Chocolate Chips: Add up to 1 cup white chocolate chips to the cookie dough right after adding the dry ingredients to the wet.
How To Make
Learn how to make red velvet crinkle cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a medium bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the melted and slightly cooled butter with the granulated and light brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and red gel food coloring until creamy and well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed. With a flexible spatula or spoon, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for 60 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour granulated sugar in one bowl and powdered sugar in another small shallow bowl. Using a small, tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop tablespoon (15 g) sized balls of red velvet cookie dough. Roll the cookie dough ball into the granulated sugar first and powdered sugar second until well coated in both sugars.
4. Place the cookie balls on the parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 11 - 14 minutes until the edges are set and the cookies no longer look wet on top. Remove the cookie sheet to cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes then remove the cookies from the warm cookie sheet to fully cool on the cooling rack.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Although this red velvet crinkle cookie recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies up until the chilling step, then decide on your storage needs.
- Store Cookie Dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Store Baked Cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing baked cookies as the powdered sugar coating doesn’t freeze well.
- Freeze Cookie Dough: Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place the cookie dough balls into a ziplock bag. These red crinkle cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw Cookie Dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cookie dough balls to room temperature before rolling in the sugar and powdered sugar and baking.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
- Use the gel food coloring. For the brightest red color, Americolor red gel food coloring is the best.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Chill the dough: Resting the dough in the fridge allows the flour to rehydrate, resulting in a chewier, soft cookie that doesn’t spread too much. The flavors also develop more fully after some chilling time.
- Use granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Rolling the crinkle cookies in granulated sugar first allows the powdered sugar to hold onto the cookie dough better. Make sure to use both sugars.
FAQs
Rolling the red velvet cookies in sugar and powdered sugar before baking creates the classic crinkle top as the cookie bakes and puffs up.
A few things can cause this. One is the oven isn’t hot enough. Make sure to fully preheat the oven for 30 minutes before baking. The baking powder needs to be fresh. Another possibility is the dough is too wet. Make sure to chill the dough and allow the flour to hydrate before baking.
Make sure to roll the crinkle cookie dough in granulated sugar first. The layer of granulated sugar gives a textured surface for the powdered sugar to stick to and prevents excess moisture from getting to the powdered sugar.
Other Crinkle Cookie Recipes To Try
If you try this Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml) optional
- 2 small bowls for sugar coating
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (20 g) unsweetened cooca powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slighty cooled
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) red gel food coloring
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Set aside.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, ¼ cup (20 g) unsweetened cooca powder, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Melt the butter in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir well to mix the melted butter with the smaller unmelted pieces. Cool the butter for a few minutes, if needed, until warm and no longer hot. Whisk the melted and slightly cooled butter with the granulated and light brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and red gel food coloring until creamy and well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed.6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slighty cooled , ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 2 teaspoons (10 ml) red gel food coloring
- With a flexible spatula or spoon, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for 60 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour granulated sugar in one bowl and powdered sugar in another small shallow bowl. Using a small, tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop tablespoon (15 g) sized balls of red velvet cookie dough. Roll the cookie dough ball into the granulated sugar first and powdered sugar second until well coated in both sugars.Place the cookie balls on the parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- Bake the cookies for 11 - 14 minutes until the edges are set and the cookies no longer look wet on top. Remove the cookie sheet to cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes then remove the cookies from the warm cookie sheet to fully cool on the cooling rack.
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