Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Festive and fun red velvet crinkle cookies are perfect for Christmas baking. With a snowy coating of icing sugar, a perfectly crinkled top and the combination of chocolate with an undertone of vanilla, these holiday favourite cookies will be sure to be a crowd favourite.

Crinkle cookies always seem to make an appearance come December. Traditionally chocolate, they are categorised by the snowy coating of icing sugar on the outside, the crackled top, and a soft, fudgy cookie texture.

These are exactly that, except instead of chocolate we are turning up a notch on the festivities with red velvet. Red velvet is a strange flavour. Its not chocolate and it’s not vanilla, but rather it is the perfect combination of both, making it the perfect flavour for pretty much anyone. Plus the vibrant red colour of these cookies make them that little extra special and perfect for Christmas baking.

How to make red velvet crinkle cookies

I am such a fan of simple cookie recipes. It is so hot in Australia throughout December, so really the last place you really want to be is in front of the oven. But with the air conditioner turned up, you can whip up a batch of these cookies in about 30 minutes. And trust me, it’s totally worth it.

You start by mixing together your dairy-free butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy, and then add in the egg. This is also where you can tint the batter a bright shade of red, remembering that when you add the dry ingredients, the cocoa powder will dull down the colour. If you don’t love using artificial colour you can leave this out as it wont change the flavour, just the appearance.

Add in your sifted dry ingredients and mix everything together until a soft dough forms. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and coat first in white sugar, then in icing sugar to get that iconic snowy exterior.

Place your balls of snowy covered cookie dough onto a tray and bake for about 10 minutes, depending on your definition of a perfect cookie. Mine is slightly underbaked, with a little crunch on the edge, but a soft middle. 10 minutes is perfect for that. Remember your cookies will firm up as they cool, so if they still seem soft when you pull them out of the oven, that is totally ok!

Tips for perfect red velvet crinkle cookies

• Use a combination of brown and white sugar for the perfect chewy centre and crispy edges.
• Roll the balls of cookie dough first in white sugar before the icing sugar. This little tip will make sure the icing sugar doesn’t soak into the cookie as it bakes, leaving you with a perfectly white powdery coating.
• Bake the cookie dough from room temperature. These cookies are meant to spread so bake them up right away, or if you are making the dough ahead of time, let it come back to room temperature before rolling out your cookies.
• Use gel food colouring like Americolour for the best results. With gel colouring, a little goes a long way and the Americolour gels have a rich and vibrant colour so you will use much less than a liquid colouring, plus the gel won’t alter the texture of the dough.

Get ready to start your Christmas baking for this year with these festive red velvet crinkle cookies. They are sure to stand out on any table and I know you are going to love how easy they are to make, and like me, remember just how good red velvet flavoured desserts are.

If you are ready to fully embrace the festive season with all things Christmas cookies, you will love my new FREE eCookbook with 4 of my favourite Christmas cookie recipes. Simply download it by entering your email in the pop up box on the right or in the sidebar.

Happy Baking!

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Festive and fun red velvet crinkle cookies are perfect for Christmas baking. With a snowy coating of icing sugar, a perfectly crinkled top and the combination of chocolate with an undertone of vanilla, these holiday favourite cookies will be sure to be a crowd favourite.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 20 cookies

Author: Sally

Ingredients

• ½ cup (125 grams) dairy-free butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg room temperature
• red food colouring
• 1 ½ cups plain flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For rolling

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup icing sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
• In a large bowl, beat dairy-free butter, brown and white sugar and vanilla until creamy with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted. Add in egg and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Beat in desired amount of red food colouring to give the mixture a bright red colour.
• In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder and bicarb together and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until a dough forms.
• Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, roll balls of dough before first rolling the dough ball in a small bowl of white sugar to coat, and then into a bowl of icing sugar, until the outside of the ball is coated.
• Place the balls of dough evenly apart on the baking tray, ensuring there is enough space for the cookie to spread. Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies will still be soft when removed from the oven, so let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• These cookies are best eaten on the day of baking, but can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three days if required.

Notes

I use Nuttelex to replace butter in most of my recipes as it is vegan and gives a 'buttery' flavour without being greasy. As this is an Australian product, the closest US alternative I believe is Earth Balance. Otherwise any dairy-free spread will work.

Not from Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide.

More Cookie Recipes:

Snickerdoodle Cookies
Classic Ginger Snap Biscuits
100s & 1000s Sugar Cookies
Sour Cherry & Vanilla Thumbprint Cookies
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Save it for later: