Red Velvet Cookies - No Dye

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With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I’ve been dreaming of pretty, festive treats. Red velvet is a perfect flavor for this holiday because it has all of the things Valentine’s Day is known for – sweetness, chocolate, and it is red! These red velvet cookies are a slightly better for you alternative to dye filled candy and cookies.

Red velvet is traditionally a cake, but I like it in the form of cookies because it is portable, less messy, and adorably giftable. You could package them in heart or cupid stamped cellophane bags and seal with twist ties or bright bows to pack in your little valentine’s lunch, or to hand out to friends. Quick note: make sure you wait until these cool before eating. You will taste a hint of beet when it's still warm, but it does dissipate. Also, some beet root powders are stronger than others.

Why You'll Love These Red Velvet Cookies

Naturally Colorful – I love red velvet, but I don’t love serving my kids a bunch of artificially dyed foods. I colored these cookies with beetroot powder to keep it natural!
Festive Fun – These are the perfect little Valentine’s Day treats, whether you plan to pack them in your sweethearts’ lunches, or if you’re hosting a galentine’s tea!

Ingredients for Red Velvet Cookies

Butter – Set your cookie dough up for success by making sure your butter is soft, but not melted!
Cream Cheese – Cream cheese is not only a key component to the red velvet flavor, but it also changes the consistency of the cookie. Cream cheese cookies are melt-in-your-mouth rich and delightfully soft! Make sure you soften yours before you begin, just like your butter!
Sugar – You will need ¾ cup of white granulated sugar, as well as ½ cup of brown sugar. The perfect balance of white and brown sugars is a large part of what goes into the perfect cookie dough.
Vanilla – These cookies use a tablespoon of vanilla, which helps round out the slight earthiness of the beetroot powder, and also really brings out the sweet notes in the cocoa.
White Vinegar – Red velvet cake is typically made with buttermilk, but since we don’t need milk in our cookies, the white vinegar works to add the same slight tanginess, while also helping the dough rise into fluffy cookies!
Egg – Egg binds everything together. You will need one whole egg, plus one yolk. Save your leftover egg white for tomorrow morning’s breakfast, or whip up a small batch of meringue cookies to add to your treat bags.
Cocoa Powder – Cocoa is essential to the red velvet flavor. You can also use cacao if you prefer, but it has a stronger flavor, so you may want to use a little bit less. Raw cacao can also cause your dough to be a little bit dry, which can be easily remedied by adding a little extra liquid.
Flour – For these red velvet cookies, we are using all-purpose flour. You can substitute 1:1 all-purpose gluten free flour if you want to make these gluten free!
Beetroot Powder – Beets are so pretty! I love being able to color these cookies in a healthy way. Ditch the food coloring this Valentine’s Day! This is what we use Beet Root Powder
Salt – You need ½ teaspoon of salt in order to activate your baking soda, and to balance out the sweetness.
Baking Soda – Baking soda works in tandem with the vinegar to keep your cookies from becoming dense and flat.
White Chocolate Chips – As red velvet cake is known for its creamy, tangy frosting, so red velvet cookies must have white chocolate chips in them! They also look stunning!
Chocolate Hearts – These are optional, but so cute! This time of year, they are easy to find in stores, or you can make your own with a candy mold, chocolate chips, and a little coconut oil!

How To Make It

Preheat oven 350F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick cooking spray. Prep ingredients if desired.
In a mixing bowl whisk cream together the sugars, butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Fully incorporate the beetroot powder, eggs, white vinegar and vanilla into the creamed mixture.
Next sift in the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Scoop 1.5-inch balls of dough and arrange onto baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes. When cookies are done, transfer to cooling rack and, if using, press a chocolate candy heart gently into the center of each cookie.

Step by Step Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 350F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper. While your oven is heating up, prepare your cookie dough. The first step is to cream together your sugars, butter, and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Next, add your beetroot powder, eggs, white vinegar, and vanilla to the bowl and mix until incorporated.

Add your flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder, and mix until combined. Do not overmix.

Once your cookie dough is mixed, fold in your white chocolate chips.

Next, transfer your cookie dough to the baking sheet. You should aim for balls around 1.5 inches in size. An ice cream scoop works really well for this step!

Bake your cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until the dough begins to lose its glossiness, and edges are firm to the touch. Note that cookies finish as they cool, so it is okay if they still feel a little soft. Once your cookies are done, remove them from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. If you wish to add your chocolate candy hearts, gently press them into the center of each cookie as soon as you place them on the rack.

Allow cookies to cool, and then enjoy, or package them for gifts!

Cook's Tips

Red Velvet cookies will last up to 5 days at room temperature in an air-tight container.
If your dough is too dry, add a splash of milk or water, or a little extra softened butter. If it is too sticky, add a pinch of flour. Just mix, but avoid overworking the dough.
Can't find chocolate hearts? You can drizzle your cookies with some melted white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips. You can also try some fun valentines themed sprinkles, or a little edible glitter.

FAQ:

What flavor is red velvet?

Red Velvet gets most of its flavor from cocoa and cream cheese.

How is red velvet different than chocolate?

Red velvet has less cocoa than chocolate. It is also richer, and is known for the cream cheese frosting, or in this recipe, the cream cheese in the cookie. Red velvet is also red, of course!

Why are my red velvet cookies brown?

Red velvet cookies can come out brown if they are cooked too long, or if they don’t have enough red coloring in them. In this recipe, I use beetroot powder to color the dough naturally. Sometimes natural colors can have a slight brown tint to them because of the chemical reaction with leaveners while baking. It is worth noting that old-fashioned red velvet cake was not nearly as vivid as many of the products you see in stores today, so if your cookies do end up with a slight brown tint to them, they are actually more authentic looking!

Looking for more easy dessert recipes? Try these:

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies

Banana Bread Muffins

Easy Overnight Chia Oats

Chocolate Fruit Tart

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