Description
These Chewy Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Cookies combine rich cocoa flavor with a vibrant red hue and a tender, chewy texture. Finished with a delightful Reese’s white chocolate peanut butter heart on top, these cookies are perfect for a festive and romantic treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (preferably Kerrygold), softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature (about 70°F)
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp red food coloring
- 0.6 cup all-purpose flour (King Arthur recommended)
- 2.5 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
For the Decoration:
- 6 white chocolate peanut butter hearts (Reese’s recommended)
Instructions
- Prepare Your Workspace and Preheat: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preparing your workspace ensures smooth progress without delays, and preheating the oven guarantees an even bake.
- Cream Butter and Sugar, Build the Base: In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes to incorporate air. Add the room-temperature egg yolk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring, mixing until fully combined and the dough is a uniform vibrant red.
- Combine Dry Ingredients and Incorporate into Dough: Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl to remove lumps and distribute leavening evenly. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined to avoid overmixing and ensure tender cookies. The dough should appear cohesive and richly colored.
- Shape and Prepare Cookies for Baking: Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into smooth balls. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Optionally, roll the balls in extra sugar for a sparkly, elegant finish.
- Bake Cookies Until Set: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers remain slightly soft. The cookies will look a bit underbaked; this helps keep them chewy after cooling. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Add Chocolate Hearts and Chill: After the cookies have cooled for about 10 minutes and are still warm, gently press one Reese’s white chocolate peanut butter heart into the center of each cookie. The residual heat will soften the chocolate slightly, aiding adhesion. Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes to set the chocolate hearts and firm up the cookies.
Notes
- Use room temperature egg yolk to ensure smooth mixing and proper dough texture.
- Do not overmix the dough after adding dry ingredients to avoid tough cookies.
- Optional rolling the dough balls in sugar adds a sparkling look perfect for Valentine’s Day.
- Cookies appear slightly underbaked when removed from the oven to maintain a chewy texture.
- Refrigerating after adding chocolate hearts is key to properly setting the decoration.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
