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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I knew I had to share something special to celebrate the occasion. And what says love better than a batch of freshly baked cookies? Enter: Red Velvet Cake Cookies. These are the perfect sweet treat to whip up for the holiday—whether you’re indulging solo or treating your loved ones to something homemade.
😍 Why You’ll Love My Red Velvet Cake Cookies
The word “Cake” in the title is no mistake—these cookies are like the perfect hybrid between a cupcake and a cookie. They’re soft, with a moist, tender crumb that just melts in your mouth, all while being completely vegan and gluten-free. Plus, they’re a hit with the kids! My daughter can’t get enough of them, and I don’t mind her licking the bowl since there’s no raw egg to worry about.
And if you’re thinking about making them in advance, these cookies freeze beautifully. Just be aware that the powdered sugar may absorb a little in the freezer, so they might lose a bit of their visual appeal—but trust me, the taste will still be spot on!
🗒️ Ingredients
All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend – A gluten-free flour blend keeps the cookies tender and delicious without the gluten, meaning anyone can enjoy these treats!
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – A hint of cocoa gives these cookies that classic red velvet flavor we all love.
Baking Soda – it helps the cookies rise just enough to give them their light, cake-like texture.
Kosher salt – A pinch of salt balances the sweetness and enhances all the wonderful flavors in these cookies.
Neutral Oil – A neutral oil keeps the cookies moist and rich, without adding any strong flavors. I reach for safflower but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
Granulated Sugar – that sweetness has to come from somewhere! It also helps them develop that beautiful, slightly crisp edge.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds warmth and depth, making these cookies even more irresistible.
Apple Cider Vinegar – this is our acid which reacts with the baking soda, giving the cookies a light, airy texture while adding a subtle tan
Red Gel Food Coloring – it gives the cookies their iconic red color—perfect for making them festive!
Powdered Sugar – rolling the dough in powdered sugar adds a sweet, delicate crust, and makes them look beautiful!
👩🍳 How to Make My Red Velvet Cake Cookies
🥣 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
💧 In a large bowl, combine oil, water, sugar, and vanilla and whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes to fully combine.
❤️ Add vinegar and food coloring and whisk for another 30 seconds.
👩🏻🍳 Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir and mix to combine so there are no traces of flour remaining.
🥄 Using an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons, scoop cookie dough onto one or two plates so they are not touching. You will get 10-15 cookies. The dough will seem wet, that’s ok.
❄️ Freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile put a heap of powdered sugar onto a shallow plate and set aside.
🔥 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove cookies from the freezer and roll each ball with your hands briefly, then toss around in the powdered sugar covering the outside completely.
⏲️ Place on two parchment covered baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until just set in the middle. Do not overbake, they will continue to harden as they cool.
💨 When baked, cool on the baking pans for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
🎉 Enjoy!
❤️ Dessert Anyone?
Make a batch of vegan cream cheese frosting and sandwich two cookies together for a decadent red velvet cream cheese sandwich cookie – it’s an easy way to turn these delicious treats into a one-stop dessert!
🤲 Substitutions
- As always, feel free to swap in regular old all purpose flour if that’s what you have and gluten doesn’t bother you.
- I’ve tested this recipe with sugar substitutes, and the best result is subbing in half of the sugar with Monkfruit sweetener. There is very little difference in the result, only a bit more spread with baking.
- I like to use gel food coloring, it’s much more potent and results in a brighter color. But it is not technically vegan, so if that’s important to you, use natural food coloring. Just know the hue will be more pastel.
- You can use just about any neutral oil for this recipe. I always use either sunflower or safflower oil, but a light olive oil or even canola will work just fine.
📓 Red Velvet Cake Cookies are best served with
- A creamy Hot Chocolate
- Almond or Oat Milk Latte
- Vanilla Ice Cream
👝 How to Store Leftovers
If storing at room temperature, they will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container. I suggest seperating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
If you want them to last a little longer, store the cookies in an airtight container in the frdige. This will help to retain some moisture, but may slightly firm up the cookies – so warm them briefly before enjoying!
You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature or pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them. Just note that the powdered sugar may absorb slightly into the cookie, but they will still taste just as delicious!
🧠 Common Questions
Yes, absolutely. Both Dutch-processed and natural cocoa are unsweetened so can be used here.
I always use either sunflower or safflower oil, but a light olive oil or even canola will work just fine.
This is why we freeze the dough balls for 15 minutes before popping them into the oven. If the dough is too warm, they will spread.
Yes! You can make the dough and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking.
The cookies are ready when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
The intensity of the red color can vary depending on the type of food coloring you use. I use a concentrated gel food coloring for a super bold red, but you might need to increase the amount of food coloring.
Red Velvet Cake Cookies
Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ cup neutral oil, such as safflower
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup room temperature water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp red gel food coloring, or use natural food coloring to make it 100% vegan
- Powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, combine oil, water, sugar, and vanilla and whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes to fully combine.
- Add vinegar and food coloring and whisk for another 30 seconds.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir and mix to combine so there are no traces of flour remaining.
- Using an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons, scoop cookie dough onto one or two plates so they are not touching. You will get 10-15 cookies. The dough will seem wet, that's ok.
- Freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile put a heap of powdered sugar onto a shallow plate and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove cookies from the freezer and roll each ball with your hands briefly, then toss around in the powdered sugar covering the outside completely.
- Place on two parchment covered baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until just set in the middle. Do not overbake, they will continue to harden as they cool.
- When baked, cool on the baking pans for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are simple and delicious! I have made them a few times and they come out consistently good. My family loves them!
The cookies looked nice…they really didn’t have much flavor to me. And, I got a weird aftertaste, not that chocolate savory aftertaste that you want. Will be looking for a different recipe.
I’m sorry you didn’t love them more, K!
Vegan cookies can be very tempermental – I’d love to know more about your methods to see if I can help!
Kat.
this recipe is a keeper, cookies came out perfect on the second batch, with a couple of modifications. I used more gf flour, less water to thicken dough. switched from plant based food coloring. and put the entire bowl of raw dough in the freezer, then scooped, rolled in powdered sugar, and bake. (note: batch #1 cookies were thin, flat and almost black, could not see any red.). will make these again, thank you for the recipe!
Lolo, thanks for these notes. Vegan cookies can be very tempermental, and factors like ingredients and climate can cause the results to vary. I’m glad you found a method that pleased you!
Kat
This recipe is, forgiving, easy and delicious. I used ingredients I had on hand and was shy of a half cup coconut oil and made up the difference with olive oil. I also only had rice vinegar. I had my 5 year old helping and started step 3 when I realized I skipped step 2. Even with all these missteps the cookies turned out delicious! My son loved helping roll the dough in powdered sugar. These are definitely going in the cookie rotation!
Now that is a true test! I’m thrilled you loved them Erin.
Kat
So good! I used regular all purpose flour because it was what I had, but they still came out super fluffy and delicious. Will be making again!
I’m so thrilled Johnna!
Kat
The flavor is great, but the bottoms on all of mine burned. I followed the directions completely: temperature, parchment paper covered, and only baked for 12 minutes. I cut the bottoms off of all of them and they taste great, so I’d love to bake them again. Any idea what went wrong?
Holly, what did you bake them on? Silpats can sometimes cause burning, so try parchment paper. Also, try baking for less time and using the top rack in your oven. Let me know how you make out!
Kat