Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
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These red velvet cheesecake cookies are soft and chewy with a delicious red velvet flavor and tangy cream cheese filling. The perfect cookie for Valentine’s Day or Christmas. Make sure to allow enough time for the dough to chill before baking.
If you love a big slice of red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting – then you’re going to love these red velvet cheesecake cookies. I’ve made a few different variations of red velvet cookies – but these cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies are definitely the most decadent thanks to the surprise mouthful of cheesecake in the middle.
You can choose to either roll the dough balls in sugar before baking, or add a little drizzle of vanilla glaze on top of each cookie. Either way – these cookies look stunning and taste incredible.
The recipe isn’t overly difficult – but you do need to allocate enough time for the cheesecake filling to firm up and for the dough balls to freeze. I also highly recommend using a cookie scoop for this recipe, as you will get sticky fingers.
Making Cheesecake Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
You’ll need to make both the cookie dough and cheesecake filling. The dough will need to chill in the fridge and the cheesecake filling will need to freeze before assembling your cookie dough balls.
For the cheesecake filling:
- Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a little flour until smooth.
- The flour helps the cream cheese mixture to thicken so that it doesn’t melt into the dough as the cookies bake. You won’t taste it.
- Drop spoonfulls of the cream cheese mixture onto a cookie sheet or plate lined with wax paper. Then place in the freezer.
For the cookie dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. If your cocoa is lumpy, then I do recommend sifting it first.
- Because red velvet is in between chocolate and vanilla in flavor, this recipe uses less cocoa powder than my chocolate cookie recipes. I recommend natural cocoa instead of Dutch processed for this recipe.
- In a separate large bowl you’ll beat together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined
- The butter should be slightly softened, but not starting to melt or become slimy. It should still be slightly firm to the touch
- Then beat the egg, vanilla, vinegar and red food coloring
- Adding just a touch of vinegar gives the cookies the quintessential slight tanginess of red velvet.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of red food coloring depending on your preference. I used 2 teaspoons gel food coloring because it gives a more vibrant color. Feel free to just use 1 teaspoon for a less intense color. The batter will look very vibrant at this step, but the color will darken and mellow after the dry ingredients are added.
- Gently mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. I recommend doing a few stirs by hand first, then using an electric mixer.
- Cover the bowl, then pop in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
When you’re ready to assemble the cookies, the dough won’t be as sticky anymore. The cream cheese dollops will still be sticky and not completely frozen. You want to keep the cream cheese dollops in the freezer as assemble the stuffed cookies so that they stay as firm as possible.
- Scoop out about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of red velvet cookie dough. Flatten slightly into a bowl shape.
- Take 1 dollop of cream cheese out of the freezer and place in the middle of the cookie dough.
- Scoop out another 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of red velvet cookie dough. Flatten slightly and place on top of the cream cheese dollop.
- Pinch the edges of the dough around the cream cheese, then roll into a ball.
Place the formed dough balls in the freezer (covered) for about 30 minutes for them to firm up again. If you’re choosing to roll the dough balls in sugar, you can do so at this stage.
The frozen cookie dough balls will bake for about 11-14 minutes, in the oven preheated to 350F (180C). The tops should look set when they’re done baking the tops should look set. Note that bake time is a bit dependent on how gooey you prefer your cookies.
Recipe Tip
Cookie dough balls freeze well. After forming the dough into balls (and optionally rolling in sugar) place in a freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air. Cookie dough balls will freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, as directed in the recipe.
These cheesecake stuffed red velvet cookies have the perfect surprise inside the chewy, verging on gooey red velvet cookie. I love making these cookies for Christmas or Valentine’s Day for an extra special treat – but you definitely don’t need to wait for a holiday to indulge in these incredible cookies.
More red velvet recipes to love:
- Red Velvet Brownies – make them with or without cream cheese frosting
- Red Velvet Cheesecake
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese (112 grams), brick style, full fat
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
Red Velvet Cookies
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (209 grams)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened but not starting to melt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (105 grams), I used light
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons red food coloring, I used gel
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams), optional – for rolling
Glaze – Optional
- 1-2 tablespoons milk, or whipping cream
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar (110-220 grams)
Instructions
Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and flour until smooth and creamy.
- Line a cookie sheet or plate with wax paper. Scoop spoonfulls (about 2 teaspoons) on the lined cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours (before forming the dough into balls.
Red Velvet Cookie Dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy.
- Mix the egg, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring into the butter mixture until combined. The dough will look very neon at this point, but will mellow in color after adding the dry ingredients.
- Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
Assemble the Dough Balls
- Scoop about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of cookie dough. Flatten slightly and curve the edges up into a shallow bowl shape.
- Take 1 cream cheese dollop out of the fridge and set on top of the cookie dough. Note: Keep the cream cheese dollops in the freezer as you go so that they stay as firm as possible – just take one out at a time, as you need it. They will be sticky.
- Scoop another 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough. Flatten slightly and place on top of the cream cheese dollop.
- Pinch the edges of the cookie dough around the cream cheese dollop then roll into a ball. You want the cream cheese entirely surrounded by cookie dough.
- If choosing to roll the dough balls in sugar, pour the additional 1/3 cup granulated sugar on a plate and roll the balls in sugar.
- Cover the cookie dough balls and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, place in a freezer bag.
Baking
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not use the wax paper that you used for the cream cheese dollops).
- Place the frozen cookie dough balls on the lined cookie sheets, ensuring that they're at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Do not thaw the cookies first.
- Bake 1 sheet at a time in the middle of the preheated oven. They will bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until the tops look set.
- Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet.
Glaze
- Whisk together 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 cup powdered sugar. Continue whisking as you gradually add a little more milk and a little more powdered sugar until the glaze is white in color but thin enough to drizzle.
- Drizzle the glaze onto the cooled cookies. I like to spoon it into a freezer bag, cut off one of the bottom corners, and use the freezer bag as a piping bag.
Notes
- Doubling the Recipe: This recipe can easily be doubled.
- Food Coloring: I used gel for a more vibrant color. Liquid works too.
- Assembling the Cookie Dough Balls: If you don’t want your hands to get food coloring on them, then I recommend wearing gloves.
- Freezing: Cookie dough balls can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake as directed in the recipe. Do not thaw the cookie dough balls first.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie with glaze, assuming the recipe yields 12 uniform cookies.
