There’s something about the holiday season that makes me want to fill the kitchen with warmth and the sweet scent of something baking. For me, that often means whipping up a batch of these Red Velvet Christmas Cookies. They’re my go-to for easy Christmas treats—soft, chewy, and dotted with white chocolate, they feel like little edible hugs. If you’re planning your holiday baking, this recipe is a joyful place to start, and it’s become one of my favorite Christmas dessert ideas.
I love how these vibrant cookies stand out on any platter. They truly are unique Christmas cookies, offering that classic red velvet flavor in a handheld, shareable form. Whether you’re compiling Christmas cookies recipes for a swap or just need some festive holiday treats for friends and family, this batch always earns smiles. It’s a wonderful addition to your list of Christmas baking ideas when you want something special without too much fuss.
From leaving them out on Christmas Eve to serving them at a party, these cookies bring a cozy, comforting magic to every moment. I hope they become a beloved part of your holiday baking, spreading cheer as one of those perfect, simple holiday treats.
Craving a delicious Red Velvet Christmas Cookies? You've come to the right spot! From Christmas Cookie favorites to amazing Burgers recipes, there's something here for everyone.
Why You’ll Love This Red Velvet Christmas Cookies
- Festive Look: Deep red color brightens any dessert table.
- Soft & Chewy: Brown sugar and cornstarch guarantee a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Classic Flavor: Cocoa, vanilla, and buttermilk create the beloved red velvet taste.
- White Chocolate: Sweet chips add flavor bursts and beautiful contrast.
Ingredients & Tools
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 110 g light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp red gel food coloring
- 210 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp buttermilk
- 170 g white chocolate chips
Tools: Stand mixer or hand mixer, mixing bowls, whisk, spatula, baking sheets, parchment paper, cooling rack.
Notes: Room temperature butter and egg are essential for smooth dough. Gel food coloring gives vibrant color without adding excess moisture.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories: | 185 kcal |
| Protein: | 2 g |
| Fat: | 8 g |
| Carbs: | 27 g |
| Fiber: | 1 g |
Serves: 18 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes (includes chilling)
Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes
- Why gel food coloring? Liquid food coloring can add too much moisture and often results in a pink, not red, cookie. Gel coloring is highly concentrated, so you use less and achieve a much more vibrant, true red color without affecting the dough’s consistency.
- Don’t skip the chilling step. I know, it’s tempting to just pop them in the oven. But chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes is crucial. It prevents the cookies from spreading too much, helps develop the flavors, and gives you that perfect thick, soft-baked texture.
- The importance of room temperature ingredients. When your butter, egg, and buttermilk are all at room temperature, they blend together seamlessly, creating a smooth, homogenous dough. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to curdle or result in uneven baking.
- Measuring your flour correctly. The best way is to use a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Scooping directly packs in too much flour and can lead to dry cookies.
How to Make Red Velvet Christmas Cookies
Step 1: Start by creaming your butter and sugars. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed for a full 2-3 minutes. You’re looking for the mixture to become light, pale, and fluffy. This step is key for incorporating air, which helps give the cookies lift.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Now, add your red gel food coloring. Start with one tablespoon—you can always add a bit more if you want a deeper shade. Mix until the color is fully incorporated and vibrant. The dough will look shockingly red, and that’s exactly what you want!
Step 3: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Whisking ensures the leavening agents and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, so you get a consistent bake in every single cookie.
Step 4: Combine wet and dry. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. You don’t want to overmix at this stage. Then, pour in the buttermilk and mix for just a few seconds until the dough comes together. It will be quite thick and sticky.
Step 5: Fold in the chocolate chips. Switch to a sturdy spatula for this part. Add the white chocolate chips and fold them gently into the dough until they’re evenly distributed. The dough will be a beautiful, deep red with bright white specks throughout.
Step 6: Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. This is the step that makes all the difference—it firms up the butter so your cookies don’t spread into thin pancakes in the oven.
Step 7: Preheat and portion. Towards the end of the chilling time, preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion the dough into 1.5-tablespoon-sized balls. Roll them gently between your palms to smooth them out and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
Step 8: Bake to perfection. Bake for 9-11 minutes. The trick is to pull them out when the edges look set, but the centers still appear soft and slightly underdone. They will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet. You’ll see a few cracks on the surface—that’s perfect! For extra gooey centers, lean towards the 9-minute mark.
Step 9: Cool completely. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This initial cooling on the sheet helps them set up without becoming too hard. The smell in your kitchen will be absolutely incredible.
Storage & Freshness Guide
- Fridge: Not recommended; store airtight at room temperature.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies or dough balls up to 3 months.
- Reviving: Warm in microwave 5–10 seconds or oven at 300°F for 3 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Complementary Dishes
- A simple cheese board — The sharpness of a good cheddar or the creaminess of brie provides a lovely savory counterpoint to the sweet, rich cookies.
- Peppermint bark — Serve a platter of these cookies alongside some homemade peppermint bark for a double dose of festive, chocolatey goodness.
- Spiced nuts — A bowl of warm, cinnamon-sugared pecans or almonds adds a nice textural contrast and a cozy, spiced aroma to your dessert spread.
Drinks
- A cold glass of milk — It’s a classic for a reason. The creaminess of milk is the perfect partner to the soft, chocolatey cookie.
- Peppermint hot chocolate — The cool mint and rich chocolate echo the holiday vibes and make the whole experience feel like a cozy Christmas movie.
- Eggnog latte — For the adults, a warm eggnog latte brings in all the traditional holiday spices that complement the red velvet flavor beautifully.
Something Sweet
- Vanilla bean ice cream — Sandwich a scoop between two slightly warm cookies for the ultimate decadent treat. The warm cookie and cold ice cream is a textural dream.
- Chewy gingerbread cookies — The warm spices of gingerbread are a fantastic flavor companion to the cocoa and vanilla notes in the red velvet.
- A simple fruit platter — Fresh berries like raspberries and strawberries offer a bright, tart freshness that cleanses the palate between bites of the rich cookie.
Top Mistakes to Avoid
- Mistake: Using melted butter. This is the number one reason cookies spread too much. You want softened butter that you can press a finger into, not butter that’s oily or melted. It creams with the sugar to create structure.
- Mistake: Overmixing the dough after adding the flour. Once the flour is in, mix until *just* combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, cakey cookies instead of soft and chewy ones.
- Mistake: Baking on a hot baking sheet. Always allow your baking sheet to cool completely before adding a new batch of dough. A hot pan will cause the butter to melt instantly, leading to cookies that spread prematurely.
- Mistake: Overbaking. It’s so easy to do! Remember, the cookies will continue to cook on the hot tray. Take them out when they still look a little underdone in the middle for the perfect soft, chewy texture.
Expert Tips
- Tip: Use a cookie scoop for uniformity. This isn’t just for looks. Using a scoop ensures all your cookies are the same size, which means they’ll bake at the same rate. No more burnt small ones and doughy large ones!
- Tip: Gently press a few extra chips on top. Right after the cookies come out of the oven, press a few extra white chocolate chips onto the surface. This makes them look bakery-quality and extra indulgent.
- Tip: For a crispier cookie, flatten the dough balls slightly. If you prefer a thinner, crisper cookie, just press down on the chilled dough balls with the bottom of a glass before baking. They’ll spread a bit more and get crunchier.
- Tip: Add a sprinkle of sea salt. A tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right after baking elevates them to a whole new level. It enhances the sweetness and the chocolate flavor incredibly well.
FAQs
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can prepare the dough, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. The flavor actually deepens the longer it chills. You can also scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, just adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time. It’s the ultimate make-ahead holiday hack.
Why did my cookies turn out cakey?
A cakey texture usually points to a few things: too much flour (from incorrect measuring), overmixing the dough after adding the flour, or using Dutch-processed cocoa powder which reacts differently with the baking soda. Stick to natural cocoa and be gentle when mixing for that perfect chewy texture.
My cookies didn’t spread at all. What happened?
If your cookies stayed in a tight ball, the dough was likely too cold or you had too much flour. Next time, let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking if it’s very firm from a long chill, and double-check your flour measurement technique.
Can I use a buttermilk substitute?
Yes, in a pinch! You can make a DIY buttermilk by adding 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, then adding enough regular milk to reach the 2 tablespoon line. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly before using. The acidity is what we’re after.
How should I store these cookies?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They’re best enjoyed within 3 days for maximum softness. If you want to keep them longer, they freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Just thaw at room temperature for an hour or so.
Red Velvet Christmas Cookies: An Easy Festive Dessert
Red Velvet Christmas Cookies are the ultimate easy Christmas cookies. These soft, chewy treats are perfect for holiday baking and bring festive cheer to any dessert table.
Ingredients
For the Ingredients
-
115 g unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
-
100 g granulated sugar
-
110 g light brown sugar (packed)
-
1 large egg (at room temperature)
-
2 tsp vanilla extract
-
1 tbsp red gel food coloring
-
210 g all-purpose flour
-
25 g natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
-
1 tsp cornstarch
-
0.5 tsp baking soda
-
0.25 tsp salt
-
2 tbsp buttermilk
-
170 g white chocolate chips
Instructions
-
Start by creaming your butter and sugars. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed for a full 2-3 minutes. You’re looking for the mixture to become light, pale, and fluffy. This step is key for incorporating air, which helps give the cookies lift.01
-
Add the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Now, add your red gel food coloring. Start with one tablespoon—you can always add a bit more if you want a deeper shade. Mix until the color is fully incorporated and vibrant. The dough will look shockingly red, and that’s exactly what you want!02
-
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Whisking ensures the leavening agents and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, so you get a consistent bake in every single cookie.03
-
Combine wet and dry. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. You don’t want to overmix at this stage. Then, pour in the buttermilk and mix for just a few seconds until the dough comes together. It will be quite thick and sticky.04
-
Fold in the chocolate chips. Switch to a sturdy spatula for this part. Add the white chocolate chips and fold them gently into the dough until they’re evenly distributed. The dough will be a beautiful, deep red with bright white specks throughout.05
-
Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. This is the step that makes all the difference—it firms up the butter so your cookies don’t spread into thin pancakes in the oven.06
-
Preheat and portion. Towards the end of the chilling time, preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion the dough into 1.5-tablespoon-sized balls. Roll them gently between your palms to smooth them out and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.07
-
Bake to perfection. Bake for 9-11 minutes. The trick is to pull them out when the edges look set, but the centers still appear soft and slightly underdone. They will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet. You’ll see a few cracks on the surface—that’s perfect! For extra gooey centers, lean towards the 9-minute mark.08
-
Cool completely. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This initial cooling on the sheet helps them set up without becoming too hard. The smell in your kitchen will be absolutely incredible.09
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