Simply Suzanne's AT HOME: red velvet cookies

I love February!

Three of my four sweet blessings were born in February. It's a month of celebrations for our family!

Valentine's Day is the icing on the cake for us. It's like a bonus celebration day filled with sweet notes, extra hugs & kisses, and cupcakes & candy. Add all that to birthday celebrations EVERY weekend in February . . . and you have a fun-filled month.

Okay, so how fun (and pretty) are these red velvet white chocolate chip cookies!?!

My husband and Littles inspired this sweet creation.

They had been asking me (bugging me, actually) over the course of several days to bake home-made chocolate chip cookies. When I finally got around to baking them, I thought it would fun to surprise them with something fun and festive. So I adapted my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe to make these red velvet cookies.

It was as simple as decreasing the flour and adding cocoa powder in its place, and then adding red coloring gel for that signature hue . . . and voila, you have a simple recipe for a festive and yummy Valentine cookie!

They're tender, moist, and chewy!

I made half with only white chocolate chips, a quarter with only semi-sweet chocolate, and another quarter with a combination of white and semi-sweet chocolate.

Our youngest daughter, Lauren, LOVES white chocolate, so her favorite was the all white chocolate red velvet cookies.

Since I'm a big fan of DARK chocolate, I knew that the semi-sweet ones would be my favorite; BUT I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked the white and semi-sweet chocolate combination.

We rolled them in pink, red, and white non-perils . . . and then added big red heart sprinkles to the tops for a little Valentine fare. We loved how they turned out . . . and the best part is that they're not only pretty, but yummy, too!

Wishing you a sweet (and fun-filled) Valentine's Day!

red velvet white chocolate chip cookies

makes 15-18 cookies
. . . . . . .

1 1/2 cups, PLUS 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 Tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 teaspoons red food coloring (liquid or gel)

1 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet, or a mix of white and semi-sweet

*non-perils or sprinkles, optional

. . . . . . .

Preparation

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high speed until smooth and light colored, about 1 minute. Add the sugars and mix until well combined, scraping down sides as needed. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well. Mix in the food coloring.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Scoop the dough in 1.5 Tablespoon mounds and form each into a ball.

Press decorative sprinkles into the sides of the dough balls.

Bake for 10 - 11 minutes. If the cookies don’t spread all the way, gently press on the warm cookies with the back of a spatula.

Try NOT to bake them longer than 11 minutes!

Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 3-5 minutes. Place a few chocolate chips on top of the warm cookies. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.