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red velvet cut out cookies

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These red velvet cut out cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day, whether you’re decorating them with royal icing, buttercream, or turning them into linzer cookies. The dough is lightly chocolatey, and the texture is tender with a crisp edge.

Ingredients

Scale

226 unsalted butter (salted is fine), room temp (1 cup ; 16 Tbsp)

100g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)

55g light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)

1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp regular table salt)

1 egg yolk 

1/4 tsp white vinegar (optional, but for the red velvet vibe)

1–2 drops red gel food coloring (not liquid, but you can substitute for a natural powder food coloring)

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

300g all purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)

46g natural cocoa powder (1/2 cup)

1/4 tsp baking powder

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand held mixer, beat the butter on low speed until smooth. Add the sugars and salt and beat on medium-low until combined and slightly lightened, about 1-2 min. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the egg, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla and beat until the mixture is fully combined and emulsified, scraping the bowl well. (Don’t over mix at this stage, or the dough will be too aerated and cause some spreading during baking.)

Add the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Mix on low speed until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go. Add the coconut and pecans and finish mixing until combined.

Roll the dough to ¼″ between two lightly floured sheets of parchment paper, flouring the dough as needed. Refrigerate the dough for two hours or overnight. (If you’re in a rush, a quick 20 minute freeze will do the trick.)

When it’s time to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).

Dip cutters in flour and cut shapes in the dough, placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze the cut shapes for 5-10 minutes before baking to help prevent spread, if desired.

Bake for 6-8 minutes for smaller shapes and 8-10 minutes for larger shapes or until the center is no longer shiny. 

Cool on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

  • This recipe is written using weight measurements rather than volume because it is a significantly more accurate (and easier!) way to measure. Trust me! Get a scale, and you’ll be happy.
  • If you can, do not substitute the Diamond Crystal kosher salt with regular table salt. If you only have table salt, reduce the amount by half. I do recommend grabbing a big box of Diamond Crystal, because it will last forever.
  • If you find the dough spreads too much for you, add up to 30g (¼ cup) additional flour to help reduce the spread. It shouldn’t be an issue in this recipe, though.
  • For this cookie, I like to use natural cocoa because the flavor is lighter and more similar to red velvet, and the color makes a more red cookie than Dutch cocoa does.
  • I like to roll my dough to ¼″ because it is the perfect balance between thick and thin. If you’re a cookier and like to decorate royal icing cookies on a really thickly rolled cookie, like 5/16″ or ⅜″, they will likely need longer time to bake. You will also have a smaller yield.
  • These cookies are perfect for decorating with royal icing.

Find it online: https://linenandgray.com/red-velvet-cut-out-cookies/