Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Red Velvet Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (or golden sugar)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Red gel food coloring, as needed
- ⅓ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Prepare Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and creamy. Transfer this mixture into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off, then pipe 16 heart-shaped dollops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. Freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up the filling.
- Preheat Oven and Prep Pan: Set your oven to 355°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for baking.
- Make Cookie Dough Base: In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the 1 cup softened unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and add red gel food coloring until the dough reaches your preferred vibrant red hue. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift in ⅓ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon baking powder. Stir gently to form a cohesive cookie dough.
- Shape Dough Balls: Divide the dough into 16 equal portions, approximately 1.35 oz (2.7 tablespoons) each, rolling them into balls.
- Stuff Cookies: Remove the frozen cream cheese dollops. Flatten each cookie dough ball, place one cream cheese heart in the center, then carefully wrap the dough around the filling to encase it fully. Work quickly to prevent the filling from melting.
- Roll in Sugar: Immediately roll each filled dough ball in ¼ cup granulated sugar so it adheres to the surface.
- First Bake: Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2-3 inches between them to allow spreading. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Shape Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and use a spatula to carefully reshape the cookies' heart indentations and points.
- Second Bake: Return the cookies to the oven and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until the tops lose their wet, shiny appearance and set.
- Cool: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Finish Baking Remaining Dough: Keep any remaining dough refrigerated until ready to bake, repeating the stuffing and baking process.
- Without Cheesecake Filling (Optional): For cookies baked without the filling, freeze rolled and sugared dough balls for 20 minutes before baking. Reduce baking time by 2 minutes for best results.
Notes
- Make the cheesecake filling 1-2 days ahead and freeze to save time on baking day.
- Work quickly when stuffing to prevent the cream cheese from melting into the cookie dough.
- Freezing the cream cheese dollops helps maintain their shape during baking.
- Use Dutch processed cocoa powder for a smoother, less acidic red velvet cookie.
- If omitting the cheesecake filling, freezing the dough before baking helps retain shape and texture.
- Adjust red gel food coloring to achieve your desired shade of red.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American