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Red Velvet Cookies get a serious glow up here, two soft crackly cookies hugging a swirl of tangy cream cheese frosting, and my girls Maddie and Lizzie went absolutely feral for them the first time I made a batch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. If you love our easy strawberry earthquake cake, these are the handheld, two bite cousin of that same red and cream cheese dream.
They start with a boxed red velvet cake mix, so you get bakery worthy results with almost zero fuss and a whole lot of wow.
Red Velvet Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 9 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 24 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 sandwich cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 305kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft and tangy with sweet cream cheese and a hint of cocoa
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies
Quick Answer
Mix a box of red velvet cake mix with eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until no dry patches remain, then scoop the dough into balls and roll them in powdered sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 9 minutes until crackled and set, cool completely, then sandwich two cookies together with whipped cream cheese frosting.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- A cake mix shortcut. Starting with red velvet cake mix means the color, cocoa, and leavening are already balanced, so your cookies turn out tender and uniform every single time.
- The powdered sugar roll. Rolling each dough ball in powdered sugar before baking is what gives these that signature crackly, snowy crinkle top as the cookies spread and split in the oven.
- No chilling required. This dough is thick enough to scoop and bake right away, so there is no waiting around for a long chill before you get to the good part.
- Real cream cheese frosting. Whipping softened cream cheese and butter with vanilla and powdered sugar makes a tangy filling that balances the sweet cookies and keeps them from tasting one note.
- Built to sandwich. The cookies bake up sturdy on the outside with a soft middle, so they hold a generous swirl of frosting without crumbling apart when you take a bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They come together with pantry staples and a boxed mix, so they are perfect for last minute bake sales and holiday cookie trays.
- Each one is a soft, tangy, two bite treat that disappears faster than you can frost them.
- They are an easy win next to our Easter sandwich cookies on any dessert table.
Key Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to pull these off, and most of them are probably already in your kitchen.
- Red velvet cake mix: The base of the cookie. It brings the color, the subtle cocoa flavor, and the leavening all in one box.
- Eggs and melted butter: These bind the dough and add richness so the cookies bake up soft instead of dry.
- Powdered sugar: Used two ways, for rolling the dough balls to get that crackle top and for sweetening the cream cheese frosting.
- Cream cheese: The star of the filling. Make sure it is fully softened so the frosting whips up smooth and tangy.
- Vanilla extract: A little in both the cookie and the frosting rounds out the flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These are easy to make your own, here are a few ways we like to switch them up.
- Leave them unsandwiched and just dust the crackly cookies with extra powdered sugar for a simpler red velvet crinkle.
- Add a handful of white chocolate chips to the dough for little melty pockets.
- Swap the cream cheese frosting for vanilla buttercream if you want them a touch sweeter.
- Roll the edges of the frosting in sprinkles or mini chocolate chips for a festive look. They are right at home next to our strawberry earthquake cake on a party table.
How to Make Red Velvet Cookies
- In a large bowl, mix the red velvet cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer until there are no dry patches.
- Scoop the dough into 1 tablespoon balls and drop each one directly into a bowl of powdered sugar.
- Roll each ball around in the powdered sugar until fully coated, tap off the excess, and place on a parchment lined tray about 3 inches apart.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 9 minutes until the cookies spread, crack on top, and look set. Cool on the tray 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting by whipping the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Spread about 2 teaspoons of frosting on the bottom of one cookie, top with a second cookie, and gently press into a sandwich. Repeat with the rest.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for the frosting so it whips up smooth with no lumps.
- Do not overbake. Pull the cookies when they look just set, they firm up as they cool and stay soft in the middle.
- Scoop evenly with a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop so every cookie has a matching partner to sandwich.
- Coat generously in powdered sugar right before baking for the boldest crackle top.
- Cool completely before frosting, or the cream cheese filling will slide right off.
- Store the sandwiched cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These red velvet cookies are made for sharing. Pile them on a tiered tray for Valentine’s Day, a baby shower, or any time you want a dessert that looks fancy but took almost no effort. They are always the first thing to vanish.
Serve them with a tall glass of cold milk or a hot cup of coffee. For a full dessert spread, set them out next to our strawberry earthquake cake and a batch of chocolate dipped shortbread cookies so there is a little something for everyone.
Want to make them ahead? Bake the cookies up to two days early and store them airtight, then whip the frosting and sandwich them the day you plan to serve. Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge, just let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
Red Velvet Cookies FAQs
No. This red velvet cookie dough is thick enough to scoop and bake right away. Chilling is not required, which is part of what makes these so quick and easy to throw together.
Usually it means the butter was too warm or the dough was too soft. Make sure your melted butter has cooled slightly before mixing, and if your kitchen is hot, chill the dough for 15 minutes before scooping and rolling.
Yes. Freeze the unfrosted baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them, then make the cream cheese frosting fresh and sandwich them when you are ready to serve.
Because of the cream cheese frosting, store the sandwiched cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let them come to room temperature for a few minutes before eating for the best texture.
This recipe is built around the boxed mix for speed and consistency. You can make a from scratch red velvet cookie, but the ingredient list and method are different, so stick with the cake mix here for these exact results.
A simple whipped frosting of softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar is ideal. It is tangy enough to balance the sweet cookies and thick enough to hold the sandwich together without sliding.
Tried these red velvet sandwich cookies? I would love to hear how they turned out, drop a comment and a star rating below, and tell me what you filled yours with!
Love a fun cookie? These thick and chewy animal cracker cookies are pure nostalgia. Loaded with sprinkles and frosted crackers, our animal cracker cookies are a kid favorite. Our animal cracker cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with circus animal crackers. For a colorful treat, bake a batch of these animal cracker cookies. These animal cracker cookies come together fast with no chilling required. Sprinkles and frosted animal crackers make our animal cracker cookies extra fun. Our animal cracker cookies are a sweet, nostalgic crowd pleaser.
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box red velvet cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup butter melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper, set aside.
- Place the cake mix, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Mix together with an electric hand mixer until there are no dry patches.1 box red velvet cake mix, 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Place the ½ cup powdered sugar in a bowl.½ cup powdered sugar
- Place 1 tablespoon-sized dollop of the dough directly into the powdered sugar. I like to use a 1 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop for this. Roll the dough around in the powdered sugar, tap the excess sugar off and place them directly onto the prepared sheet tray, 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, the cookies will slightly spread, crack on top and appear set, with no wetness to the cookies once done.
- Let them cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, whip until smooth.4 ounces cream cheese, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar to the bowl a little at a time until fully mixed in. Turn the mixer on to medium-high speed and whip for 2 minutes.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar
- Place about 2 teaspoons worth of the frosting on the bottom of a cookie.
- Top with another cookie, gently press down to make a sandwich.
- Repeat with the remaining cookies, there may be a little bit of frosting leftover.
Notes
- If you want to make homemade red velvet cake batter you can.
- Switch up your cake mix for different flavors!
- These can be rolled in other things if desired, see my tips above.
- If you are not a fan of cream cheese frosting a regular buttercream, chocolate or even marshmallow frostings would work great.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- Easily double the recipe to serve more people or store for later consumption.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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These look fantastic! Thanks for sharing on the weekend re-Treat link party! Hope to see you again Thursday at 7PM.
Britni @ Play. Party. Pin.
Miss Dana, , these cookies look amazing! One is good but two are better especially with amazing cream cheese frosting in between! This was the most viewed link at Great Idea Thursday’s 34, I hope you stop by Thursday night and grab your Featured Button!
Hey Dana! Hope you are doing well. I just wanted to let you know your cookies will be one of my features from the Blog Hop. Make sure to grab your featured button tonight @8p C.
These are so pretty for the holidays! I featured them at the Craft Countdown! You can see it here….http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/3rd-day-crafting-red-velvet-sandwich-cookies.
Happy Holidays!
Marti
This look totally divine! Can’t wait to eat one or two….dozen!
These look soo yummy!