Red Velvet Double Chip Cookies

These cookies are an example of when a kitchen experiment actually goes well. So well, in fact, that it’s actually a pretty big, crowd-pleasing success rather than a sad, disappointing flop (I’m looking at you raspberry cream cheese swirled crumb coffee cake!!).

In all honesty, though, I shouldn’t have been too surprised by the success of these cookies. After all, it lies on a very stable foundation – a recipe for cream cheese chocolate chip cookies from none other than Averie Cooks. Seriously, her website is home to some of the best cookie recipes you’ll ever come across.

Once I had it in my head that I wanted to try my hand at a red velvet variation of the classic chocolate chip cookie, I immediately went to Pinterest and was a bit disappointed in what I was finding. None of the pictures or recipes I was coming across were matching the giant, soft, and outrageously thick cookies that I could clearly see pictured in my mind.

And then a moment of clarity struck – an epiphany, if you will – and all I could think about was a recipe for cream cheese chocolate chip cookies – Averie’s recipe – that I had tried about a year ago. A recipe loved so well by my roommates that I probably made them three or four times in a one month period. This is where my brainstorming should have started in the first place – sorry, Pinterest.

What makes this recipe such a solid foundation for a red velvet cookie is the incorporation of cream cheese into the dough (you know, because cream cheese frosting is such a classic pairing with red velvet cake). From there, it was just a matter of tweaking the recipe here and there.

And for those of you who have yet to try a cream cheese-based cookie dough, you’re missing out. The cream cheese adds great flavor AND texture – who doesn’t like soft cookies that actually stay that way for days on end??

Obviously red food coloring was going into the mix to achieve that lovely red hue, along with a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to balance out the color and create the classic red velvet flavor. One thing I wish I would have thought to add is a couple of tablespoons of buttermilk, just to see if that would have contributed to the flavor profile at all – I’ll just have to keep that idea tucked away for next time…

I also increased the amount of baking soda by a bit and added a full tablespoon of cornstarch just to make sure I would wind up with cookies that hold their shape well and bake up to be wonderfully thick and soft.

And of course I had to add chunks of milk and white chocolate (both go so well with red velvet, yumm). My sister also had the genius idea of adding chopped up Oreo cookies to the mix – sister, why did you not share this idea with me sooner?! Because I actually had Oreos and could have made that happen!! Needless to say, chopped up Oreos are most definitely joining the red velvet cookie party next time it comes to town.

Now go get through your Friday and start the weekend right by baking up a batch of these monster-sized red velvet double chip cookies – and throw some Oreos in there and tell me how it goes because that’s all I can think about now.

Red Velvet Double Chip Cookies
Makes 1 dozen large cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon liquid red food coloring
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup milk chocolate chips or chunks

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese for 3-4 minutes on medium. To this, add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the beaters with a rubber spatula, then add the egg, vanilla and red food coloring and beat an additional few minutes until well-combined and light and fluffy.

Add the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to the mixer and beat on low until nearly combined, scraping the bowl and beater at least once. Mix in the chocolate chips/chunks until evenly mixed throughout the dough.

Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop, scoop out dough and place onto a tray or cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place in the fridge and allow to chill for a minimum of 3 hours, or up to a full day.

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Place the chilled, scooped out dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes; the cookies will be soft but set in the center. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or counter top to cool completely. Keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several days.

Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks’ cream cheese chocolate chip cookie dough