If you've been searching for the best red velvet cookie recipe, stop here. These chewy red velvet cookies are made with brown butter for deep, nutty richness, loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, and have that vibrant red color that makes them impossible to resist — especially on Valentine’s Day or any special occasion when you want something truly impressive! NO HAND MIXER NEEDED!
This easy red velvet cookie recipe doesn't cut corners. Real cocoa powder, gel food coloring, and a proper chill time give you thick, bakery-style cookies with the perfect chewy texture — not just a chocolate cookie dyed red.
If you love cookie recipes, you are also going to love my white chocolate chunk matcha cookie, brown butter oreo cookies & OH my cinnamon roll cookies!!
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Ingredients (all pantry staples you have!)
- Salted butter
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- White vinegar
- Red gel food coloring
- All-purpose flour
- Natural cocoa powder
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions & Video
Mix together all the wet ingredients in a big bowl!
Add in the dry ingredients & the chocolate chips!
Arrange on a baking sheet & bake for 12 minutes!
Serve hot with some cold milk & enjoy!!
- Brown the butter: Melt butter in a light-coloured skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it foams, keep going until golden-brown bits form at the bottom and it smells nutty and toasted. Pour immediately into your mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl to stop the cooking.
- Cool the brown butter: Let the brown butter cool completely — about 20 minutes on the counter or 10 minutes in the freezer. Make sure it's fully cooled before moving on.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix the butter and sugars: Add the cooled brown butter, white sugar, and brown sugar to a large bowl and whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring. Mix until the dough develops that signature red velvet colour.
- Fold in the dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep that chewy cookie texture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the cookie dough: Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. Do not skip the chill time. This step gives you bakery-style red velvet cookies!
- Scoop the cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a parchment-lined baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookie dough balls and place them about 2 inches apart. Bake one tray at a time for 12 minutes.
- Let them set: Leave the red velvet chocolate chip cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Scroll all the way down for the recipe card!
Top Tip: Press a few extra chocolate chips onto the cookie dough balls before baking for that extra bakery-style finish.
Substitutions
- Red gel food coloring — Preferred over liquid food coloring. If using liquid 1 teaspoon is fine.
- Salted butter — Unsalted works too; simply add ¼ teaspoon extra salt.
- White vinegar — Apple cider vinegar works well. Don't skip it — it helps create that classic red velvet flavor.
- White chocolate chips — Swap for more semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped toffee.
- Eggs — Replace one whole egg with 2 egg yolks for a richer cookie.
- Cocoa powder — Use natural cocoa powder only.
Equipment
- Large and medium mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula & optionally a Cookie scoop (I usually use my hands though!)
- Parchment-lined baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Airtight container
Storage
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 4–5 days.
- Frozen (baked): Up to 3 months.
- Frozen (raw dough): Freeze cookie dough balls for up to 3 months and bake straight from frozen, adding 2–3 extra minutes.
Top tips for Success!
- Use gel coloring, not liquid: Gel food coloring gives you that deep red color without adding extra moisture.
- Don't rush the butter or skip the chill: Warm butter = flat cookies. No chill = less chewy texture.
- Pull them while slightly underdone: They continue setting on the tray, giving you soft centres and chewy edges.
FAQ
Brown butter adds toasted, nutty depth that regular butter can't match. Combined with cocoa powder, brown sugar, and vinegar, these cookies have real red velvet flavor — not just red colour.
Red velvet cake mix cookies tend to be softer and more cakey. If chewy red velvet cookies are the goal, homemade dough is the better option.
Yes. Use a standard cookie scoop and bake for 9–10 minutes. You'll get roughly 28–30 cookies.
Related
Looking for other easy dessert recipes like this? Try these:
Ultimate Red Velvet Cookies Recipe (with Chocolate Chip)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown the butter: Melt butter in a light-coloured skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it foams, continue stirring until golden-brown bits form at the bottom and it smells toasted and nutty, about 5 minutes. Pour immediately into a large bowl to stop the cooking. (VIDEO BELOW)
- Cool to room temperature: Let the brown butter cool completely — about 20 minutes on the counter or 10 minutes in the freezer. Warm butter causes cookies to spread flat. You want it cool enough to hold its shape when lightly pressed.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix butter and sugars: Whisk the cooled brown butter with the white sugar and brown sugar for 1–2 minutes, until smooth and glossy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring. Whisk until fully combined and a vibrant red color runs evenly through the dough. Scrape the bowl once more.
- Fold in dry ingredients + chips: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined — stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
- Chill the dough: This is the most important step. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 hours — overnight is even better. Cold dough gives you thick red velvet cookies with that signature chewy texture. Do not skip this step.
- Scoop and bake: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a parchment-lined baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a large cookie scoop (about 3 oz) to portion dough, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake one tray at a time for 12 minutes. For smaller cookies, bake 9–10 minutes.
- Rest, then transfer: Leave cookies on the tray for 5 minutes to finish setting. Transfer to a wire rack and serve warm or fully cooled. Either way, you’ll get rich, fudgy red velvet cookies loaded with melty chocolate in every bite.
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Food safety
We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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