Red Velvet Cookies Stuffed With Cream Cheese Filling

These moist and chewy red velvet cookies are stuffed with a light and fluffy cream cheese filling and are very similar to my chewy double chocolate chip cookies but with the flavor and texture of my authentic red velvet cake! Super easy to make and even easier to eat or gift during the Holidays.

 

You may think that the flavor of red velvet is just chocolate cake with red food coloring added but a TRUE red velvet flavor comes from buttermilk, cocoa, and baking soda. This chemical reaction not only creates a baked cookie that is moist and tender but also has that distinctive tangy flavor that only comes from making red velvet cookies!

The cream cheese filling stuffed inside is a perfect surprise and compliments the flavor of the red velvet cookies perfectly. I like to do a simple drizzle of white chocolate on top because it looks super pretty and just screams CHRISTMAS COOKIE if you ask me but really these cookies are good all year round!

Red Velvet Cookie Ingredients

The most important ingredient to have on hand is a little buttermilk to make these red velvet cookies but if you don't have any you can make a buttermilk substitute. You will also need some red food coloring and a little cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder (not dutched) is preferred for this recipe.

You'll need some cream cheese for the filling and some white chocolate for the drizzle on top but if you don't have white chocolate you can skip this part or use royal icing instead!

How To Make The Cream Cheese Filling

1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt until smooth. Take care not to over mix as cream cheese liquifies the more it is mixed.
2. Put the cream cheese mix into a piping bag and pipe or scoop about 2 teaspoon-sized mounts onto parchement paper. Place them in the freezer and let them freeze for at least 30 minutes or until firm. You can do this days in advance if you want to.

Making The Red Velvet Cookie Dough

1. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer cream together the butter and sugars until it is pale and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
4. Add the vanilla, red food coloring and buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
5. Add in the flour mixture gradually while the mixer is running on low, until dough is fully mixed. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so all of the butter and sugar are evenly mixed into the dough.
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill the cookie dough for at least 60 minutes or overnight.

Putting The Cookies Together

1. Using a #20 size scoop (about the size of three Tablespoons), scoop a 2oz size ball of dough. You can also use a scale to portion the dough.
2. Working quickly with the cold dough, pull it in 2 pieces and flatten them slightly.
3. Sandwich a dollop of cold cream cheese filing in the center and gently form the dough around it into a ball. Place the cookie back onto the cookie sheet and chill for 10 minutes. The cream cheese filling dollops do not freeze hard, so working quickly so it all doesn't get too sticky is ideal. This dough is also very sticky, if it becomes too sticky dip your fingers in some flour to help, or put the dough back in fridge.
4. Placing up to 6 cookies on a sheet pan, bake in a 350ºF oven for approximately 12-14 minutes. The center will look underbaked, if it appears wet, bake for another 1-2 minutes until it doesn't appear wet anymore.
5. Once the cookies have cooled, melt white chocolate and place it in a piping bag or parchment paper cone and drizzle across the cooled cookie. Give the cookie at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to set up before trying to handle it.

How To Store Red Velvet Cookies

Because these cookies contain cream cheese, they should be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container to prevent drying out. However, they can be left at room temperature for about 4 hours safely.

Storing cookies in an air-tight container helps the cookies retain moisture.

Baked goods begin to stale after 24 hours so they should be eaten within 48 hours for the best flavor and texture.

If you're not going to enjoy those cookies within 48 hours you can freeze them! I like to freeze mine first then wrap them individually and put them into a ziplock freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and to keep them from sticking to each other.

FAQ

Recipe