Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
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These red velvet crinkle cookies are an easy drop cookie that are soft, fudgy and perfect for your Christmas cookie platter! The easy red velvet cookie dough is rolled in powdered sugar before baking to give that signature crinkle effect after baking.
Red velvet and crinkle cookies are both classics, but together? Absolute magic. I’ve always loved making red velvet desserts around the holidays — like my red velvet bars, red velvet cake, or my red velvet cupcakes – the deep red, the hint of cocoa, and of course, the festive feel. And I love a good crinkle cookie, like my chocolate crinkle cookies or my lemon crinkle cookies! That snow capped effect from the powdered sugar just gives all the cozy winter vibes don’t they?
So I decided to turn my love for red velvet into a cookie that’s soft, chewy, and impossibly fun to bake. These Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are exactly that: a showstopper in cookie form, and easier to make than you’d think.
These cookies are perfect for holiday cookie swaps, a sweet gift, or just an afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa. They’re festive, soft, and chewy — everything you want in a holiday cookie.
Here’s how I make them every time, with a few tips to get them just right.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Or you can use Dutch process cocoa powder.
- Baking soda
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Salt
Wet Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter, softened – If you use salted butter reduce the added salt.
- Light brown sugar – If you run out try my homemade brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg – Use a room temperature egg so it doesn’t seize up the butter.
- Buttermilk (or regular milk) – This helps to give the classic red velvet taste but also helps the cookies to spread perfectly.
- Vanilla extract
- Red food coloring
Extras:
- Powdered sugar for rolling
Making The Cookie Dough
Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. The cornstarch is a little trick that makes the cookies soft and tender so don’t skip it!.
Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the butter until fluffy, then add both sugars. Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer but you will need to cream it for longer. The key here is to incorporate air into the butter which helps give the cookies lift and softness.
Add the wet ingredients: Mix in the egg, vanilla, buttermilk, and red food coloring until the dough is uniformly colored. That vibrant red is what makes these cookies so festive. And make sure to scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Incorporate the dry ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring on low speed or folding with a spatula. Stop mixing as soon as everything is combined to keep the cookies tender. The more you mix the tougher the cookies will end up.
Chill the dough: Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. Chilling firms the dough, making it easier to handle and helping the cookies stay thick when baked.
If you want you scoop the cookie first before chilling to make it easier after it’s chilled. Just make sure to cover the cookie dough balls well so they don’t dry out. If you’re scooping use a small cookie scoop and scoop into about 2 Tablespoons.
Shaping And Coating The Cookies
Shape the dough: Scoop dough balls using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons).
Use a medium cookie scoop to get evenly sized cookies.
Double coating: Roll each ball first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar. This gives the cookies that classic crinkle and crackle look. But by rolling in granulated sugar first helps the powdered sugar from dissolving.
If your dough sticks to your hands while shaping, lightly dust your palms with flour — it makes rolling so much easier.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (160°C). Place cookies on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 12–14 minutes, until edges are set but tops are puffy.
Cool: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
If you want to freeze these cookies, I like to freeze them unbaked without rolling in sugar first. Then when ready to bake, roll in sugars and bake. You will need to add on a few minutes of baking time.
More Recipes To Try
If you’re craving more Christmas cookies be sure to try my Russian Tea Cakes – a holiday favorite my grandmother made when I was a kid! Another favorite is my lemon cookies with lemon icing – a crowd favorite around here.
I also love my coconut macaroons -a gluten free cookie that I like dipping in chocolate after they are baked. And when it’s Fall time I love whipping up a batch of my apple cider cookies with fresh apples and cider glaze.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (160 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar plus more for rolling in
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons buttermilk or regular milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- Powdered sugar for rolling in
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl. 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt
- Cream butter and sugar. Beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes; beat in brown sugar and white sugar until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter ¾ cup (160 g) packed light brown sugar ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- Add remaining wet ingredients. Beat egg, in egg until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract into butter mixture and beat to combine. Add milk and food coloring and beat until until uniformly colored. 1 large egg 1 ½ tablespoons buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- Add dry ingredients. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture gradually with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Chill the dough for at least one hour before assembling. I like to scoop first as it can be very difficult to scoop after it’s chilled. If you're scooping and chilling now, use a small cookie scoop and scoop into about 2 Tablespoon portions.
- Preheat and prepare pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Assemble the cookies. Scoop cookie dough using a small cookie dough about 2 tablespoons of dough. Using your hands, roll into a ball and roll into granulated sugar. Then roll into powdered sugar. Place onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake and cool cookies. Bake in a preheated oven until edges are edges are set and tops are puffy, about 12-14 minutes. Cool cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: If you want to freeze these cookies, I like to freeze them unbaked without rolling in sugar first. Then when ready to bake, roll in sugars and bake. You will need to add on a few minutes of baking time.
Question – the instructions are contradictatory. One spot says to scoop 3 tablespoon balls and chill, the other spot says to scoop 2 tablespoon balls, and it sounds like you scoop these 2 tablespoon balls without chilling. Please clarify which is correct. Thanks!
Hi! Great catch — thank you for pointing that out. 😊 The correct size is 2 tablespoons, and you can scoop either before or after chilling. If you happened to make them a bit bigger, just add a little extra baking time. The instructions are fixed now. Thanks again!