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Red velvet cheesecake cookies, broken in half and stacked on top of each other
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Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

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.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Chilling3 hours
Total Time3 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cream Cheese Red Velvet Cookies, Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
Servings: 12 cookies
Author: Fiona Dowling

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

  1. Doubling the Recipe: This recipe can easily be doubled. 
  2. Food Coloring: I used gel for a more vibrant color. Liquid works too. 
  3. Assembling the Cookie Dough Balls: If you don't want your hands to get food coloring on them, then I recommend wearing gloves.
  4. 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. 
  5. Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie with glaze, assuming the recipe yields 12 uniform cookies. 

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 388IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg