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These red velvet Christmas cookies are sure to bring a festive touch to your holiday dessert platter! They’re soft, chewy cookies studded with M&M’s and white chocolate chips. This recipe is fun and easy to make, and the cookies are perfect to give as a holiday food gift!
I love the festive color of red velvet. With the addition of green M&M’s, red velvet white chocolate chip cookies are a great choice for a Christmas cookie platter. But leave out the green M&M’s and that bright red velvet and white chocolate chip cookie is perfect as a Valentine’s Day treat, too.
What are red velvet cookies?
You may not realize this by looking at them, but red velvet cookies are actually chocolate cookies with red food coloring added. Traditionally, red velvet cake recipes included the use of vinegar and buttermilk. A chemical reaction takes place when those two ingredients are combined. Back in the 1900’s, that chemical reaction created the red color. However, this recipe doesn’t require vinegar or buttermilk. This is because red food coloring combined with cocoa powder creates the red color.
Do I have to use white chocolate chips?
I prefer to make red velvet and white chocolate chip cookies. However, you can certainly use semi-sweet or even dark chocolate chips if you want to. Or, leave out the chips entirely. They’re red crinkle cookies, so of course, they’ll look great without any add-ins at all.
How to make red velvet Christmas cookies
Making these cookies is so easy, you can even have your kids or grandkids help you make them. In addition to the red food coloring and other cookie ingredients, you will need some kitchen tools to make this Christmas cookie recipe:
- Electric mixer – A stand mixer is the best choice for making cookies. Or, an electric hand mixer works too. The high speed is important because making this recipe requires the creaming method. As a result, the high speed helps the sugar to completely dissolve into the butter and shortening. You want the cookie dough mixture to be as fluffy as possible. This is because fluffy cookie dough creates soft, chewy cookies! Creaming sugar and butter is more difficult to achieve when you mix them together with a spoon.
- Baking sheets – If you have them, use cookie sheets or pans that don’t have an edge on them. As a result, the heat will distribute evenly around the cookies as they bake. Using a jelly roll pan (a pan with raised sides) will sometimes cause too much heat to be trapped on the edges of the pan. As a result, the heat can cause the edges of the cookies to burn.
PRO TIP: If you only have a pan with sides, you can flip it over and bake the red velvet Christmas cookies on the bottom of the pan!
Can you freeze red velvet white chocolate chip cookies?
These cookies are very freezer-friendly. Just be sure to allow them to cool completely before you wrap them in freezer-safe storage containers or zip top plastic bags. Also, to prevent freezer burn, remove as much air as possible from the container. The cookies will keep well frozen for about 3 months.
You can also make the cookie dough in advance and freeze in a log or in individual cookie scoops. Just bring to room temperature before baking. Cookie dough can be made and frozen up to 6 months in advance.
Want to make some other Christmas sweets?
You can never go wrong with gourmet fudge, and my red velvet fudge makes such a pretty hostess gift! Another favorite sweet treat for Christmas is chocolate bark. This peppermint chocolate bark cookie never lasts long at our house!
Red Velvet Christmas Cookies
These red velvet Christmas cookies are sure to bring a festive touch to your holiday dessert platter!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (see notes)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons all vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons red food coloring
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips , divided
- 3/4 - 1 cup holiday chocolate candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, set aside. Add butter, shortening and sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and mix on medium speed until very pale and fluffy about 4 minutes.
- Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combine. Add vinegar, vanilla and food coloring and mix until well blended. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in 1/2
cup white chocolate chips. - Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) and roll into balls and place on buttered or Silpat lined cookie sheets.
- Gently press about 6 white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie, being careful not to flatten the cookies and bake in preheated oven 8 - 9 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
If you prefer a more chocolaty cookie, replace 1 - 2 tablespoons flour with an additional 1 -2 tablespoons cocoa powder. However, the red just won't be quite as vibrant.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 129mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g
This nutritional information is an estimate may vary, depending on brand and type of ingredients used. It is not intended to replace the advice of a licensed dietician or physician.
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