Baking

Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches: Velvety, Creamy, Extra

2 min

Pull the cookies at 8 minutes, the moment the edges look set but the centers still seem soft. They firm up as they cool, and that slight underbake is what keeps them tender enough to bite through without the filling squishing out the sides. The dough only takes a quarter cup of cocoa, just enough for a faint chocolate note under the vanilla, so the cream cheese is really what carries the flavor here. Beat that filling longer than you think you need to, until it goes pale and pipeable.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

Red velvet started as a cocoa cake whose color came partly from a reaction between natural cocoa and acidic buttermilk, a muted reddish-brown that bakers later pushed brighter with food dye. The story goes that the Adams Extract company in Texas helped popularize the deep-red version by printing recipe cards that paired its dye and flavorings with the cake. The cookie-sandwich format is a modern bakery-case spin on that same cake-plus-cream-cheese pairing.

Red velvet is chocolate's fancy cousin. These cookies are its masterpiece.

Soft, cocoa-kissed red cookies. Tangy cream cheese filling. Sandwiched together. They look bakery-fancy. They taste like love. No food coloring? Use beet powder or skip the red entirely.

Makes 12-15 sandwiches (24-30 cookies).

Preheat and Prep

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.

Make Cookie Dough

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, food coloring, and vanilla.

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until combined.

Scoop and Bake

Scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto baking sheets (2 inches apart).

Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are set. Cool completely.

Make the Filling

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

Assemble Sandwiches

Spread or pipe filling on the flat side of one cookie.

Top with another cookie (flat side down). Press gently.

Serve

Refrigerate 15 minutes to set. Serve. Watch them disappear.

Summary

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8-10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12-15 sandwich cookies

Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Fridge:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (filling is perishable).

Room Temp:

Let sit 15 minutes before serving for softer cookies.

Pro Tip:

Chill dough for 30 minutes before baking for thicker, puffier cookies.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

20 minutes

Cook

8-10 minutes

Total

30 minutes

Yield

12-15 sandwich cookies

For the Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp red food coloring (or 1 tbsp beet powder mixed with water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1
Preheat and Prep. Preheat and Prep. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. 2 2
2
Make Cookie Dough. Make Cookie Dough. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, food coloring, and vanilla. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until combined. 3 3
3
Scoop and Bake. Scoop and Bake. Scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto baking sheets (2 inches apart). Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are set. Cool completely. 4 4
4
Make the Filling. Make the Filling. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. 5 5
5
Assemble Sandwiches. Assemble Sandwiches. Spread or pipe filling on the flat side of one cookie. Top with another cookie (flat side down). Press gently. 6 6
6
Serve. Serve. Refrigerate 15 minutes to set. Serve. Watch them disappear

Swaps & Substitutions

Red food coloring → 1 tbsp beet powder slaked in a little water works, though the color reads more brick than bright and can fade in the oven.
Cream cheese → a thick dairy-free block cream cheese holds up; softer tub styles make a runnier filling that needs an extra half cup of powdered sugar.
Unsalted butter → if you only have salted, drop the added ¼ tsp salt in the dough and taste the filling before adding any.
All-purpose flour → a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend with xanthan gum bakes up fine; the cookies spread a touch more, so chill the dough.
Unsweetened cocoa powder → natural or Dutch-process both work here since baking soda is the only leavener and the amount is small.
Vanilla extract → vanilla bean paste is a nice swap in the filling and adds visible flecks.

Questions & Answers

Why did my cookies spread flat and thin?

Usually the butter was too warm or the dough went onto a hot sheet. Chill the scooped dough for 30 minutes and bake on a cooled pan for thicker, puffier cookies.

Can I make these ahead?

Yes. Bake the cookies up to two days early and store them airtight at room temperature, then make the filling and assemble the day you want to serve. Assembled sandwiches keep in the fridge up to 5 days.

My filling is too soft to pipe. What happened?

The cream cheese or butter was over-softened, or the cream cheese was a soft tub style. Beat in more powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time, or chill the filling for 20 minutes before piping.

How do I know when the cookies are done?

Pull them when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft and underdone, around 8 to 10 minutes. They finish setting as they cool, which keeps them tender.

Do these have to be refrigerated?

Yes, because of the cream cheese filling. Chill them at least 15 minutes after assembling to firm the filling, and keep leftovers in the fridge.