A brownie-like cookie that is absolutely decadent and perfect for Valentine’s Day and Christmas alike – these fudgy red velvet crinkle cookies are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. 

I included these in Valentine’s Day cookie gift boxes and they were an overwhelming favorite! 

Recipe used for the fudgy red velvet crinkle cookies:

This red-hued crinkle cookie recipe by Broma Bakery is an absolute must-try for anyone who has had trouble with crinkle cookie recipes in the past. I didn’t change or adapt anything – it is simply terrific as-is! 

I was at how easily this red velvet crinkle recipe came together! Crinkle cookies can be quite finicky, but these cracked perfectly and are as chewy and chocolatey as I could have hoped for.

Why I love this red velvet crinkle cookie recipe:

• Made from scratch – Many crinkle cookies are made with cake mix whereas these are not! Preparing them from scratch is what helps make the texture so dense and chewy. 
• No chill time required – These crinkle cookies miraculously do not need to be refrigerated before baking! They can be made in one swoop and do not flatten out much as can be the worry with crinkle cookies. 
• Rolled in both granulated and powdered sugar – Part of the reason these cookies maintain their shape when baking is due to the layer of granulated sugar they are rolled in before their heavy coating of powdered sugar.
  • Don’t skimp on the coating of powdered sugar! Check out my post for chocolate mint crinkle cookie sandwiches where I delve a bit more into the science behind how this works. 

Tips for making the fudgy red velvet crinkle cookies:

1. Red food coloring: 
   • It can be quite difficult to achieve a deep red with food coloring. For these, I used Wilton Color Right and was very pleased with the resulting hue! These colors are ultra-concentrated so you don’t have to use as much as a liquid food coloring, however you do still need to use quite a bit to reach a deep red.
   • I combined both the red and crimson colors together for this end result. 
   • If food coloring isn’t your thing, you can skip it all together and have scrumptious chocolate colored crinkle cookies.
2. Food scale: 
   • The dough is quite sticky to work with, so I set the bowl of dough on a food scale and measured out roughly 1 oz of dough before rolling in the sugars.
   • This is definitely not a required step, but it does ensure your cookies will all be uniform in size and bake evenly!
3. Freezing the crinkle cookies: 
   • I made the cookies a few weeks ahead of time and wrapped them in saran wrap and placed them in an air tight container. They came out of the freezer tasting just as fresh and chewy as they did before going in! 

How do I know when crinkle cookies are done?

If you gently press your finger into the outside edge of the cookie, it should feel ‘set’ or slightly firm/sturdy and not so soft it leaves an indent. The top should also have visible cracks.

Don’t over-bake the cookies:

• PSA – Crinkle cookies will look underdone when you take them out. Don’t panic! I always worry they aren’t quite done, as you can see the dough through the crackles in the top, but trust me – they will continue to bake and firm up after you take them out. If you bake them until they look fully done on the inside, you’ll have a dry and cakey cookie rather than a soft and chewy one.
• These cookies took exactly 10 minutes to bake as the recipe calls for. 

Crinkle cookies. The cracks are gorgeous. They’re easy to throw together. They hold their shape but are oh-so fudgy and soft on the inside. These homemade red velvet crinkle cookies are essentially a dense and gooey brownie in cookie form!

Check out my Valentine’s Day Dessert Charcuterie Board for more Valentine’s baking ideas and tips on how to add these to cookie gift boxes!

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If you make this dessert or have any questions, please leave a comment below! I absolutely love hearing when others are inspired to step into their kitchen and try out something new.

Happy Baking!

XOXO,