Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 28, 2019
Red velvet is such a quintessential classic Southern flavor -- but you don't have to bake the traditional cake to enjoy its deliciousness!  Bake up a batch of these Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies and enjoy that tasty red velvet flavor in a fun cookie form.
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Stack of Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies Image

Red velvet is such a classic Southern flavor.  Of course when most people think of red velvet, they think of the ultra-classic red velvet cake -- deep red layers of cake loaded with creamy cream cheese frosting.  It's a flavor so popular in the South, it makes its appearance at many a' wedding -- most typically as the groom's cake.

But what exactly is red velvet?

Red velvet is mildly-flavored chocolate that's deep red or mahogany in color, with the original cake also having had a very soft velvety texture.  Originally back in the day, red velvet cakes got their red hue and tender texture from a chemical interaction between cocoa powder, vinegar, and buttermilk in their batter.  The vinegar and buttermilk would bring out the reddish colors in the cocoa powder, creating red velvet's characteristic hue -- and would also help create the cake's soft crumb.

These little gems are beautifully deep red in color and loaded with red velvet's delicious mild chocolate flavor.

Now a-days, while still a mildly-flavored chocolate confection, red velvet typically gets its color from the use of red food coloring instead of relying on the original chemical reaction.

Apparently, the use of food coloring as the standard for making red velvet came about as a marketing ploy in the 1940's or so.  That's when the leading extract and food dye company of the day, Texas-based Adams Extract Company, promoted a red velvet cake recipe along with its red food coloring.

And now today, red velvet has boomed from that original basic cake recipe into one of the most popular flavors around.  You can now find red velvet cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, waffles, doughnuts -- and even candles and alcoholic drinks.

And I'm happy to add to the multitude of red velvet recipes with these tasty Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies.  These little gems are beautifully deep red in color and loaded with red velvet's delicious mild chocolate flavor.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies on Cooling Rack Image

To bake up a batch of these beauties, mix up a pretty standard chocolate chip cookie base batter -- with two big differences:

1Include baking cocoa - Cocoa is what gives these Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies their mild chocolate flavor.  Use 1/4 cup of cocoa in the batter to bring on the chocolate!

2.  Add in red food coloring - These cookies rely on food coloring to get their classic red velvet color.  Put 1 1/2 teaspoons in the batter to achieve that deep dark red hue.

So when is the best time to add the food coloring when mixing up these red velvet cookies?

It's easiest to add the food coloring early in the mixing process -- put it in during that very first mixing step when you cream the butter and sugars.

It's easiest to add the food coloring early in the mixing process -- put it in during that very first mixing step when you cream the butter and sugars.  That way, the coloring gets easily and evenly dispersed throughout all of the batter.

If the coloring is added later in the mixing process, especially if it's after the flour is added, it's really tough to get it mixed in all throughout the cookie batter.  You can end up with uneven color or streaks.

 Now when it comes to the chocolate chips, use milk chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips used in standard chocolate chip cookies.  Milk chocolate chips are right in line with red velvet's mild chocolate flavor, and work wonderfully in this Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies version. 

How to Make Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies Image

These Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies bake up just the way we love our cookies - soft and chewy.

Three tips help with keeping that texture nice and soft:

1. Chill the dough - Chilling the dough before baking helps keep the cookies from spreading when they bake, resulting in a softer more tender cookie.

I don't usually chill my chocolate chip cookie dough prior to baking, but with this dough chilling it does indeed work best.  The cookie dough is on the soft side and really benefits from that hour chill time. 


For soft chewy cookies, get them out of the oven as soon as they look done.  I actually take mine out when they still look even just a little under-done in the center.

Chilling the dough for the full hour gives the best results.  But if you're short on time, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes so you don't get flat cookies, crisp cookies.

2.  Scoop the cookies big - I use a full 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie.  Which means the cookies bake up nice and thick, helping ensure they're nice and soft.  Using a cookie scoop makes scooping and measuring this amount of dough super easy.  I use a medium-sized 2-tablespoon capacity cookie scoop.

3. Don't overbake! - For soft chewy cookies, get them out of the oven as soon as they look done.  I actually take mine out when they still look even just a little under-done in the center.  If anything, I err on the side of underdone rather than risking overdone.

Scooping Dough to Make Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies Image

To get that extra-pretty look of chocolate chips studding the tops of your baked cookies, place a few chocolate chips on the top of the cookie dough after it's been scooped.

I scoop all my cookies onto a baking sheet, and then go back and add in the chocolate chips on top of each dough ball.

Take about 4 or 5 chocolate chips for each cookie dough ball, and gently press them into the dough kind of randomly all over the top.  You don't want to squish the cookie dough ball down, but rather just embed the chocolate chips a little into the dough.

Unbaked Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies on Baking Sheet Image

Then while the cookies are in the oven, those chocolate chips embedded on the top will spread out with the cookie dough as it bakes.

You'll end up with finished cookies that are beautifully studded with chocolate chips all along the top.  They're pretty that way, right?

Baked Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies on Baking Sheet Image

So if you're a big red velvet fan, give these tasty Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies a try.

Because you don't have to bake the traditional cake to enjoy red velvet's deliciousness!  Bake up a batch of these little beauties and enjoy that tasty red velvet flavor in a fun cookie form.

Check out these other super tasty chocolate chip cookies:
Red Velvet Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chips Image
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red velvet cookies recipe, red velvet chocolate chip cookies recipe, Southern recipes, cookie recipes
Cookies & Bars
Southern
Yield: about 24 cookies

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Red velvet is such a quintessential classic Southern flavor -- but you don't have to bake the traditional cake to enjoy its deliciousness! Bake up a batch of these Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies and enjoy that tasty red velvet flavor in a fun cookie form.
prep time: 1 H & 20 Mcook time: 11 Mtotal time: 1 H & 31 M

ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 c. cocoa
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. butter, softened
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T. milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp. red food coloring
  • 1 c. milk chocolate chips

instructions:

How to cook Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

  1. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  2. In a larger mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Beat at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and milk; beat well.
  3. Gradually beat in the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
  4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
  5. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours.
  6. Use 2 tablespoons dough for each cookie and drop onto ungreased baking sheets.
  7. Bake at 350℉ for 10-11 minutes (do not overbake). Let stand on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing from the pan.
TRACEY'S NOTES
  1. Chilling the dough before baking helps keep the cookies from spreading when they bake, resulting in a softer more tender cookie. While chilling for the at least the full hour gives the best results, if you're short on time, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes so you don't get flat cookies.
  2. I use a medium-sized cookie scoop with 2-tablespoon capacity to scoop the cookie dough.
  3. Don't overbake these cookies! For soft chewy cookies, get them out of the oven as soon as they look done ... I take mine out when they still look even just a little under-done in the middles.
Created using The Recipes Generator



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8 comments

  1. You had me at Red Velvet. This would be a perfect holiday cookie. The cinnamon roll cookies sound lgood also for the holidays and would be good to send my grandchildren who are in college. Love from home comes with a cookie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can't go wrong on these treats! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party - and have a lovely Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These sound delicious and would be perfect for Christmas! Pinned.

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  4. Your cookies look delicious! Thanks for sharing with us at the Snickerdoodle Link Party! This will be one of my features tomorrow!

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  5. I love these cookies, a real winner! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  6. What does T. Milk mean? Did you mean to type in C. For cup?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'T' means Tablespoon. The recipe is correct; thank you for asking.

      Delete

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