Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

These decadent, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are made with a hint of cocoa powder and tons of melty chocolate chips. Plus, they have a beautiful red color that makes them look absolutely gorgeous!

If you’re in the mood for a gooey, melty, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookie, I recommend giving these red velvet chocolate chip cookies a try. Just like red velvet cake, these cookies are made with a hint of cocoa powder that adds a subtle flavor of chocolate. But these babies are loaded with chocolate chips, so there’s no shortage of chocolatey goodness!

To make these cookies, I took my favorite chocolate cookie recipe and made it more red velvet-y. Most red velvet chocolate chip cookie recipes use a bit less cocoa powder, but I find this amount to be the tastiest. These cookies also have a touch of red food coloring to give them a beautiful red color – just like red velvet cake and red velvet cupcakes.

These cookies are delicious anytime or for holidays. They make a fantastic Christmas cookie, too. If you plan to ship Christmas cookies, these are a great option. Feel free to add some green or white sprinkles to the dough to make them extra festive!

How to make red velvet chocolate chip cookies

1. Sift together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Cream the butter and sugars. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, and food coloring. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, followed by the food coloring.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until combined.
5. Add the chocolate chips. I recommend doing this with a rubber spatula to avoid overmixing the cookie dough.
6. Chill. This is a sticky dough, so it needs time to chill in the fridge; at least 1 hour should do it, but you can leave it for longer.
7. Bake. Bake your cookies for 9-10 minutes at 350°F/180°C. Allow to cool before eating.

Baker’s tip: Depending on how dark your cocoa powder is, your cookies might have a dark red color, but you can control it by adding as much food coloring as you like. Use a bit less or more depending on how red you like them. You can even leave the food coloring out and get delicious black velvet cookies instead.

Tips for making delicious red velvet chocolate chip cookies

-Don’t overmix your cookie dough. This will cause the cookies to be tougher and more dense, and we want them to be soft and chewy. After you beat the butter and sugar, simply mix the ingredients until they comes together.

-Feel free to use dark or white chocolate chips. I personally love both – you can use whichever kind you like, or make half a batch of cookies with dark chocolate chips, and half a batch with white!

-Add as much or as little food coloring as your like. Food coloring is always optional. Feel free to leave it out completely, or add more if you want your cookies more red.

-Chill your cookie dough for at least 1 hour before baking. Chilling the dough keeps the cookies from spreading too much while baking, so don’t skip this step.

More of my favorite cookie recipes

• Snickerdoodles: Soft, chewy, and coated in cinnamon and sugar.
• Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies: For when you need a warm chocolate chip cookie on the fly.
• Alfajores: Classic alfajore cookies filled with creamy dulce de leche.
• Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies: Extra large and in charge.
• Chocolate Chip Cookies With White Chocolate Chips: Super rich and decadent.

5 from 5 votes

Print

Red Velvet Cookies

Soft and chewy red velvet chocolate chip cookies loaded with melty chocolate chips!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

YIELD 18 -20 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cups (180gz) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 teaspoons red food coloring gel (or liquid)*
• 1 cup dark or white chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Once mixed, add the food coloring (add 2 teaspoons at this point, and add more if needed, after the dry ingredients are mixed). Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky.
3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. This will help the cookies stay thick and spread less while baking.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

5. Take cookies out of the fridge. If the cookie dough is hard to handle, leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes.
6. Drop rounded balls of dough, the size of 1.5-2 tablespoons, onto prepared baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges start to set. Leave to cool on the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Recipe Notes

*Depending on how dark your cocoa powder is, your cookies might have a dark red color, but you can control it by adding as much food coloring as you like. Use a bit less or more depending on how red you like them. You can even leave the food coloring out and make delicious black velvet cookies instead.