Soft and chewy red velvet sugar cookies are rolled in sprinkles for the perfect crunchy finish. These red velvet sprinkle cookies are a small batch recipe and can be rolled in any colour sprinkles you like.
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Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Hi hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for these red velvet sugar cookies with you! These are a small batch, red velvet version of my chocolate sprinkle sugar cookies, which are super popular.
This is a small batch, no mixer required sugar cookie recipe that uses an egg yolk, so is perfect if you have an extra one kicking around! These are a firm favourite in our house. I rolled mine in white sprinkles, but you can mix it up here and do whatever you like.
Small Batch Sugar Cookies
These Small Batch Red Velvet Sugar Cookies are super easy to make, and come together in less than 10 minutes. The recipe requires no chilling, so you can have these ready to go in about half an hour. I use an electric hand mixer to make these, but you could also just use a whisk and spatula and some elbow grease.
- Combine dry ingredients. Doing this first makes things go nice and fast. Combine the flour, cocoa baking soda and salt all together in a bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar. We all know the drill here. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolk and mix. This recipe uses a single egg yolk, so pop that in and quickly mix to combine.
- Add food colouring and vanilla. I used red gel food colouring for these red velvet cookies, so incorporate that in to the mixture with the vanilla.
- Mix in dry ingredients. Pop in your dry ingredients and mix to combine. The cocoa will turn the mixture a dark red colour.
- Scoop out and roll. Scoop the dough out into balls, then roll each in sprinkles to generously coat. Place onto the sheet pan (don't worry about flattening them).
- Bake. Bake the cookies until they are set around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. This recipe makes 9 cookies, so I usually bake off 6 then have the last three ready to go on a smaller pan as soon as the first batch is done.
What flavour is red velvet?
Red velvet is basically light chocolate flavour. This is a chocolate sprinkle cookie, with red food colouring added. I tested these red velvet sugar cookies with a little less cocoa and found they weren't quite what I was after, so I increased the quantity slightly. So while these aren't the reddest red velvet cookies, they are very, very good.
The best food colouring to use for a red velvet cookie is a gel food colouring. Gel food colouring is thicker and more intense, so it will not throw off the texture of what you are making by adding too much liquid. I use americolor, but there are a lot of other options out there too. I used a tsp, feel free to dial that back or leave it out completely.
The best sprinkles for sugar cookies
I rolled these red velvet sugar cookies in nonpareils, or as we call them in New Zealand, Hundreds and Thousands. I have a big bag of white (and a zillion other colours) which I used for these. Plain coloured sprinkles are available online or you can usually get them at cake supply stores.
'Jimmies' style sprinkles also work great on these cookies, or you could roll them in a sparkly sanding sugar. Whatever you use, make sure to get a good generous coating on the outside.
FAQ for Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- What tools and equipment do you use?
You can see a full list of all the tools I use here
- Do I have to roll these in sprinkles?
No - they are super good rolled in regular granulated sugar before they go in the oven! - Can I leave out the food colouring?
Absolutely - these will just be a chocolate sprinkle cookie, and will be so good! - Can I use regular cocoa?
I have only tested this recipe with dutch process - so you are welcome to try and it should be fine, but I haven't tested this myself. - What cookie scoop do you use?
I use this one. You can also weigh out your dough balls - they will be approximately 50g each. - What brand of food colouring do you use?
I use americolor gel food colouring, which is a great intense food colouring!
For more small batch cookie recipes, check out:
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Recipe For Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
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Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and chewy red velvet sugar cookies are rolled in sprinkles for the perfect crunchy finish. These red velvet sprinkle cookies are a small batch recipe and can be rolled in any colour sprinkles you like.
Ingredients
- 120g all-purpose flour
- 20g Dutch process cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 110g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 150g granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp red gel food colouring
- White nonpareils or sprinkles of your choice for rolling.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the red gel food colouring, and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and cocoa mixture, and beat on low until just incorporated.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop 2 tablespoon worth of mixture at a time. Roll into a ball using your hands, then roll generously in sprinkles. Place on the baking tray, leaving plenty of room to spread (I had 6 cookies on one baking tray and 3 on another).
- Bake one tray at a time for 11-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up and are beginning to crack on the tops, and the edges are set. Remove from the oven and if desired, take a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie and use it to 'scoot' the cookies into shape. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Comments
stacy says
Perfect for the holidays!!
caribou says
so cute!!!!!
Suhayla says
made these with sparkly sanding sugar as suggested instead of nonpareils and they turned out GORGEOUS. on my cooling tray at the moment but I couldn't resist a piping hot bite -- just delicious. thanks Erin!
Hannah says
These are delicious! I eat gluten free (when I’m not giving in to bread cravings) so I substituted with gluten free plain flour. I also only had caster sugar to use in the recipe and roll the cookies in but they worked beautifully still. Great recipe, will be doing these again as they’ll probably only last this afternoon.
Julie says
Delicious, pretty and easy to make
Muskaan says
The recipe was super easy to follow and I got a perfect small batch of Christmassy cookies. Also loved the fact that they could be baked immediately without any chilling required.
Alanna says
Saw these posted on instagram and got some inspiration for some Friday baking. Super quick and simple to whip together, no chill time means not having to wait to eat them all as well. I didn't have sprinkles on hand but they were still beautiful with the crackly top.
Evelyn says
Really chocolate forward, much more than I was expecting and so colorful for the holiday season. Perfect for the holiday cookie box and great to share. Really easy to follow recipe as well. Kudos!
Christine says
I made these cookies a couple nights ago with my 2 year old for Christmas and they were wonderful!
This recipe is definitely easy (love that there is no need to chill), uses not too many ingredients, and the result was delicious. My toddler loved watching the red gel coming together in the batter!
A family member tried one yesterday and said they could be sold/ good quality shop bought cookies. He is a foodie and hard to please too so that’s saying something!
Make these cookies! They are fun, so tasty and perfect for Christmas 🎄
Michaela C says
THESE WERE AMAZING! So easy and quick to put together, and so festive! Thank you for making my holiday baking a breeze!! Erin definitely knows how to put a recipe together - every one she has is a hit!!
JulieG says
You I thought this recipe had the Perfect texture for a cookie. I rolled mine in red sprinkles for Christmas, just to make their appearance a little deeper red.
lisa says
We just made these tonight and they were so good! I made them with my kids and it was a fun and simple recipe to do with little ones. I am adding these to my regular rotation. Thanks so much for sharing this one!
Annette says
Simple to make and very tasty! I like that they set well and aren't greasy underneath so they can stack easily for storage or gifting. I used half sprinkles and half red sanding sugar and really liked the effect 🙂
Suzanne says
I made these as part of my Christmas cookies. They are a great combo of crunchy, soft, chewy, lightly chocolate, and just a touch salty.
Andrew Kavros says
My wife and I made these a few weeks ago for Christmas and gave a lot to friends and family, along with other cookies too. This recipe by far was the most popular, and is officially added to our permanent Christmas cookie list to bake every year. It’s very rare for us to add a recipe to the permanent list, but this one easily made it on. Thank you Erin for the amazing recipe, your creation was enjoyed by all and will be for as long as we make cookies.
Sheena says
Hi Erin! Could these dough balls be frozen and baked at a later date?
I love all your recipes and looking forward to trying this one!
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tried but it should be fine - just leave the sprinkles off until just before you bake!
Ella says
I made a double batch as a gift for a friend (and so I could keep some for myself too) Followed the recipe exactly and rolled in granulated sugar as the alternative suggested, these are the most perfect cookies/biscuits I have ever made, lovely little crunch on the outside and a slightly chewy center while still holding shape. Really easy to make and incredibly pretty. I will definitely be making these again.
Rachel says
Just got these out of the oven- couldn’t resist a try - lovely slightly crispy outside and soft and chewy inside.
Catherine says
Made these for my sister's work holiday party! I used GF Measure 4 Measure flour so she could enjoy them. I also used a powder red food dye (it's what I had on hand) and mixed it with half the water recommended so it would be more of a gel texture. They turned out amazingly well! My very picky nephew gave them 2 thumbs up (and he didn't even realize they were GF!).