Red Velvet Blossom Cookies - soft and chewy red velvet cookies coated in sugar and crowned with a Hershey’s Kiss; the perfect marriage between moist red velvet cake and classic peanut butter blossoms.
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I am going to be straight with you, I am not a fan of red velvet. It's overrated.
I'd much prefer vanilla or chocolate or peanut butter and chocolate. I am basic like that.
Unfortunately, if I only shared the desserts and recipes that I prefer, well this would be a very short blog. #justbeinghonest #pickyeater #ihateeverything
Fortunately, I enjoy baking desserts even if they aren't my cup of tea, AND I have a lot of taste testers who enjoy disagreeing with me. #hookedonbaking #fortunate #redvelvetisnotoverrated
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about what exactly IS red velvet, and then get down to the nitty-gritty of these gorgeous Red Velvet Blossom Cookies.
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Table of Contents
What Exactly is Red Velvet?
No, red velvet is not just chocolate with copious amounts of red food color, but it's not too far off.
In my humble opinion, red velvet is chocolate with a basic complex.
It's chocolate with copious amounts of red dye AND vinegar/buttermilk.
The acid of the vinegar and/or buttermilk creates a tanginess, which obviously I am not in love with, but many, many people are.
Red velvet cake is usually served with cream cheese frosting (another not favorite of mine).
If you like to nerd out over details (as I do), What Is Red Velvet Cake? is a very informative resource on red velvet.
Why Should I Make Red Velvet Blossom Cookies?
OK, so I know what you're thinking...
I am not exactly selling these red velvet cookies with my disdain for red velvet, but LOTS of people LOVE red velvet, and I thoroughly tested this recipe, and my taste testers all LOVE it!!
If that's not enough, and you still feel like I am not selling you, well then thank goodness I am not a salesperson but also...
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies are insanely easy to make. They have quick prep. You can make the dough ahead of time and circle back to baking. They don't take long to bake. They store nicely. Oh, and they won't last long in a house full of red velvet lovers.
They're all the tanginess of red velvet cake wrapped up into a low effort, anyone can bake these, cookies. They're soft and chewy with a little bit of exterior sugar crunch, plus a nice mix of chocolate with the Hershey's Kisses blossom.
If you're a fan of crazy popular red velvet, or your friends, family, and coworkers are, then you will ALL love, love, LOVE these Red Velvet Blossom Cookies.
They're all the deliciousness of red velvet cake without the hassle of making red velvet cake.
Also, they are gorgeous and are perfectly fitting as Valentine's Day cookies, Christmas cookies, or anytime because I am obsessed with red velvet cookies.
Tips + Tricks For Making Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
1. Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. This blossom cookie dough calls for natural unsweetened cocoa powder NOT dutch-processed cocoa powder; make sure you're using the right cocoa powder for these festive cookies.
2. To milk or buttermilk. These blossom cookies can be made with milk or buttermilk; both are delicious options. The addition of buttermilk will create the traditional tanginess of red velvet. You won't get that tanginess using milk, but that may be preferred, and also milk tends to be more convenient.
3. Use red gel paste food color. Oh, the red food color. I highly suggest using AmeriColor super red or red red gel paste for all of your red velvet needs. You'll use/need far less gel paste to give your red velvet baked goods their beautiful red color than you would with typical water-based red food coloring. You'll find I recommend AmeriColor (I do not work with them...yet.) for all your food coloring needs.
4. Chill your cookie dough. This cookie dough requires refrigeration. Refrigerating your cookie dough is going to help create nice plump cookies for you to press your kisses into. This is both aesthetically pleasing and will make your cookies more soft and chewy. Refrigeration is also key to handling this very sticky dough. #noflatcookieshere
5. Pick your coating sugar. You can roll your dough balls in either granulated sugar, powdered sugar, or nothing at all. The granulated sugar (as photographed) will give the exterior of your cookies a little crunch. It's a nice texture to go with the soft and chewy (and I am all about texture), and it looks pretty. The powdered sugar will create a blossom cookie reminiscent of Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies.
Now, go bake a batch or two of Red Velvet Blossom Cookies, and let the world know you LOVE (or don't) red velvet.
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk or buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Americolor Soft Gel Paste Red Red
- 32 Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped
Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla extract; mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Add milk and gel food coloring; mix on low speed until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate dough for a minimum of two hours. Dough can be refrigerated overnight for up to three days.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Scoop dough into 1" rounds, or use a #60 disher to scoop balls of dough. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Keep dough chilled in between batches.
- Place rounds of dough on a silicone mat/parchment paper-lined baking sheet 2" apart.
- Bake 11-13 minutes or until edges have set. Mine cooked perfectly at 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be soft and undone, but they will set as they cool.
- Remove cookies and allow to cool on baking sheet for 2-4 minutes, then press a Hershey's Kiss into the tops of the cookies; transfer blossom cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat & Enjoy!
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