Red Velvet Crackle Cookies

After christening the new old stove by boiling water for the noodles for my Crock Pot Bun Bo Hue (Vietnamese Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup), it was time to bake something special in the oven. While the red velvet cake trend might be overhyped, red velvet cookies were another matter.

A chocolatey red velvet cream cheese cookie with a crackly powdered sugar crust. Just decadent and special enough for the new old oven. Obviously, you can make this from scratch, but it'll involve a lot of red food coloring. Or just use boxed cake mix, like I did. I added a block of cream cheese for flavor since these cookies aren't iced. Then rolled in powdered sugar and pressed flat to create that lovely crackled crust.

I baked half the batch and the cookies had a lovely red velvet color. I saved the other half in the fridge and made them again several days later. The cookie dough had gotten much wetter over time, the red was more pronounced, the cookie became more cake-like. It was still good, but I liked the crispness of the fresh batch better.

If you like red velvet cake, then you'll definitely like eating it in cookie form.



Red Velvet Crackle Cookies
Adapted from Duncan Hines Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies.

For about 3 dozen cookies, you'll need:
8-oz block cream cheese
1/3 cup butter, softened at room temperature
2 eggs
1 box red velvet cake mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream an 8-oz block of cream cheese with 1/3 cup butter.



Add in two eggs and beat again.



Then add one box of red velvet cake mix. I love how the brown flour gradually becomes red.



Red velvet.



Pour about half a cup of powdered sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a spoon, scoop out small balls of red velvet batter. The batter will be quite wet so gently roll the balls in the powdered sugar.



I baked some without the powdered sugar crust to see if I'd like that better.



Using the back of a spoon or a cup, flatten each cookie ball.



Bake in the oven for about 9 minutes.



I like my cookies crisp on the outside, soft in the center.



The cookies will be a little soft when you remove them from the pan.



But they'll crisp up when cooled down.



Just like red velvet cake in the center.



Enjoy with a glass of milk.



What can be better than a warm red velvet cookie with a glass of cold milk?



As I said, the later batch of red velvet cookie after resting in the fridge for several days were much redder and wetter.



Still good, but I do like the crispness of the fresh batch more.



Enjoy!

Other cookie recipes:
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Ginger Cookies So Easy Even a 2-year-old Can Make Them
Shortbread Cookies with Brown Sugar
Shortbread Cookies with Lavender
Slightly Spiced (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg) Molasses Cookies

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