I feel like every year there is heated discussion on whether or not chocolate has a place in the holiday cookie box. (My stance: There is no place where chocolate isn’t welcome and also, who exactly is grading us on this?) This lovely red velvet crinkle cookie from pan-banging cookie icon Sarah Kieffer solves that problem handily and deliciously. Best of all: They require no culinary acrobatics yet yield a satisfactorily festive result. They’re from her new book Baking for the Holidays, which is packed with ideas beyond the cookie box.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
From Baking for the Holidays, by Sarah Kieffer
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon red food coloring (or Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, egg, egg yolks, canola oil, red coloring (or emulsion), vanilla, and salt. Place the butter and chocolate in a small, heavy bottom saucepan over low heat and melt together, stirring to prevent the chocolate from scorching.
Continue cooking until the mixture is smooth. Off the heat, add the cocoa powder to the chocolate and whisk until completely combined, about 45 seconds (the mixture will be thick). Add the warm chocolate-butter mixture to the egg mixture and whisk together until combined. Add the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix gently until combined. Cover the dough and chill the mixture for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
In a small bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar and the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions (see note**) and roll the dough in the sugar mixture. Place eight cookies on each sheet pan and bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the edges are set and the cookies are puffed but still soft in the center, 12 to 14 minutes. Move the sheet pans to a wire rack and let the cookies cool to room temperature. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
**Note: The dough is very sticky, so using a cookie scoop works best here; I like to drop the dough balls into the powdered sugar and then gently roll them. Once they’re covered, they’re easy to pick up. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes or so to help it scoop more easily.
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Earlier today I was pondering adding some type of crinkle cookie to my treat boxes this year, and then this recipe popped up in my feed and clinched it.
Quick question: Does this recipe call for gel or liquid food colouring? I typically use gel, but one tablespoon seems like a lot.
I made these last night and used liquid food colouring. I followed the directions as posted and they looked just like the pictured cookies!
These look easy and yummy! I do wish cookbook writers would include weights. I get that us bakers in the US have not traditionally expected those in the past, but at this point I feel like newly published recipes should include them. It makes baking more accurate and with much less fuss.
This recipe actually does have weights in it and I have the book next to me! I love the book – 213g flour, 188g granulated sugar, 100g light brown sugar, 57g butter, 85g chocolate, 25g cocoa powder, 60g conf sugar.
Ah, thank you Sally! These are so helpful.
I have decided that this year I have to just let the cookie plate go. Work is too busy and my heart isn’t in it. My daughter and I are doing several big batches of cinnamon rolls for friends and neighbors instead. I’m at peace with it.
Those cookies look awesome but I agree with April about wanting weights instead of cups. It is faster and more accurate. I also think that those cookies have been rolled in icing sugar not granulated sugar… And perhaps rolled after baking instead of before.
Hi! The recipe above does say that the cookies are rolled in powdered sugar (plus granulated sugar).
Wendy, the book has weights – I agree that weight is better than volume!
So yum!! I’m not a red velvet fan necessarily (I don’t really get it), but I’m a pastry chef and know people LOOOOOOVE red velvet. These are a total crowd pleaser and I think they taste amazing too. Watch them like a hawk, just a little extra time and the bottoms burn quick.
I made these for a church bake sale and received so many compliments- thank you! This will definitely be a new holiday go-to cookie recipe.
These are very good! They were not sticky when rolling in the powdered sugar, so I did not have the issue mentioned in the recipe (I did have them in the fridge overnight, and then they sat out a couple hours before I made them). Very chocolatey and soft…maybe even too good to leave out for Santa! 🙂