It’s Monday and these Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies are on the menu! It’s game day here in Alabama because Alabama and Georgia are playing for the National Championship tonight. My mom requested some game day goodies, and because our team colors are crimson and white, I always use it as an opportunity to whip up something red velvet! (The obsession is, unsurprisingly, still alive and well.)

And, if you’re located outside the state of Alabama or are not particularly interested in football, they also double as something sweet for Valentine’s Day! Or a regular old Monday because it’s 2022 and we deserve nice things.

THE COOKIES

I adapted these babies from my classic chocolate chip cookies and the red velvet cookies in the Jenna Rae Cakes cookbook! They have a wide variety and colorful array of cookie sandwiches in their bakeries (according to instagram), and I’ve always been inspired by everything they create. I’ve said this many times, but if I ever make it to Canada, I must go to one of their locations.

These cookies are super easy to mix up and have such a great flavor and texture. They’re soft and chewy and everything you want from a cookie, and that’s not even including the cream cheese frosting. Pair that cocoa flavor with cream cheese and *chef’s kiss* 😘

I also love this cookie dough because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It’s ready to go from the mixing bowl onto the baking sheets and then right into the oven.

Here are a couple of things to note about these cookies:

The dough include a few tablespoons of buttermilk, which helps them spread and adds a little richness to the texture.
I used “no taste” red gel food coloring, which I think is the best way to get a vibrant color without altering the texture like a liquid food coloring would.
The dough is scooped and arranged 6 cookies per baking sheet. They need to be pressed flat before going into the oven, which helps them all have the same shape and an even thickness. I used the flat bottom of a metal 1 cup measuring scoop, but whatever works! You can grease the bottom of whatever you use with a little cooking spray or oil if you need to.

cream cheese frosting

This frosting is pretty straightforward and it’s the perfect consistency for sandwich cookies. It’s not as thick what I’d use to frost a cake. It’s a little bit silkier and creamier. It squishes a little towards the edges when you take a bite, but sturdy enough to hold a shape if you decide to pipe it with a decorating tip.

I sprinkled some clear sugar sprinkles around the edges, but some festive Valentine’s Day sprinkles would also be super cute here! Whatever the occasion, if you make these Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies, I really hope you enjoy them! If you’re a Red Velvet lover like me, they’ll be your new favorite cookies. The kind that makes you want to devour the whole batch, but also like you might miss them a little bit with they’re gone. You know?

I’m about to take them to a friend’s house for dinner and to watch the game so we’re not stuck with them in the house by ourselves! Sharing is caring. Happy baking, friends!

More Red Velvet Recipes:

Red Velvet Berries & Cream Cake
One-Layer Red Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Madeleines

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Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 8

Total Time: 38

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 ½ granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp buttermilk
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp red gel food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting:

¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 8-oz block cream cheese room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

To make the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar on medium speed with a mixer until combined, light in color, and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and buttermilk; mix until just combined.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Add half of flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined, and then medium speed until completely combined. Repeat with second half of flour mixture.
Add gel food coloring and mix until evenly distributed. (You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again.)
Using a cookie scoop (I used a 2 tablespoon scoop), scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheet, arranging 2-inches apart with six cookies per baking sheet. (You can reuse the baking sheets and parchment multiple times until all the cookies are baked.)
Use the bottom of a glass cup or measuring cup to press the dough balls into flat circles about ¼” thick. You can spray the bottom of the cup with cooking spray to help keep it from sticking to the dough if necessary.
Bake cookies for 8 minutes, or until crisp around the edges and set in the middle. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until combined and smooth. Add vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until mostly combined, and then medium-high speed until completely combined. Repeat with the second half of the frosting.
Once cookies are cool, pipe frosting in the center of half of the cookies (don’t go all the way to the edges, leave a little bit of room for the frosting to squish to the edges once you add the second cookie). Sandwich the rest of the cookies on top. Sprinkle exposed frosting with sprinkles if desired. Enjoy!
Store covered at room temperature.