Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies
One of my staff members L-O-V-E-S cupcakes…Red Velvet, in particular. And for the past two years, I have made her Red Velvet cuppies to celebrate her birthday. But this year had to be fabulous for “P” so I was on the hunt to take a different spin on the old favorite.
Inspired by the recent swarm of postings featuring Red Velvet Cake Pops, Red Velvet Cookies, and Red Velvet Ice Cream, I decided to try out Better Homes and Gardens’ “Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies”. I liked the idea of a small cookie that “P” could enjoy that wasn’t too sweet but paid homage to her beloved favorite cuppie.
The BHG recipe was pretty easy to make but I found that it wasn’t exactly accurate.
- They said to use a 1½ inch round cutter but I found that it was too small–especially compared to the photo of the cookie that they displayed . A 2½ inch round cutter was much more accurate for the quoted 2 dozen cookies
- 3 ounces of white chocolate is definitely not enough to dip the cookies in—double it!
The recipe I included below is directly from BHG. A few of my suggestions to enhance the recipe would be:
- Use an additional 3 tablespoons of butter.
- Up the granulated sugar to ½ cup.
- Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- I like my red velvets REALLY red and used an additional ½ tablespoon of red food coloring
Overall, these cookies were pretty fun and “P” enjoyed them. I think with the listed modifications, they would be awesome! I also liked how the white chocolate was reminiscent of the cream cheese frosting found on traditional red velvet cupcakes. Will it replace the beloved Red Velvet Cuppie? Maybe not. But it does offer a fun alternative–and who couldn’t use a new makeover every once in awhile? 
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Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies
From Better Homes and Garden
Ingredients:
1¼ Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Unsalted Butter, cut up
1 Tablespoon Red Food Coloring
3 Ounces White Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ Teaspoons Shortening
Finely Chopped Pistachios or Rainbow Nonpareils (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Cover and process with on/off turns until combined. Add butter and red food coloring. Process with on/off turns until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Process until mixture just forms a ball.*
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough lightly until nearly smooth. Roll or pat dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using a floured 1-1/2-inch round cutter, cut out dough. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press scraps together and reroll.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until centers are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
In a heavy small saucepan, melt white chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate. If desired, sprinkle with pistachios or nonpareils. Let stand on waxed paper until set. Makes about 24 cookies.
UPDATE: If the dough is too soft to roll out, chill it in the fridge for a 5-10 minutes. Also, if you taste them directly after baking, they will be really crumbly and almost flavorless. These shortbread cookies need to be “aged” a bit and will improve in flavor/texture the next day after they’re baked.
I wish I had known you made these! I have my own recipe posted!
I’ll have to give your recipe a try next time!!
Not unless yours are better. How was the texture/taste of this recipe?? They look great, Nam!!
I have an aunt who has been begging me to make red velvet cupcakes…maybe I’ll give these a try instead. They look delicious!!
Thanks so much Taylor!!
By the way, I love your site–great concept! My cousin who is a RD also has a blog that features delicious but healthy eating. If you have the chance, check her out at http://www.nutritiontokitchen.com
Cheers!!
P is so lucky those look fantastic!
Thank you!!!
I absolutely L-O-V-E your site and will be trying out a few of your recipes for our little Bella
Cheers!
I love red velvet — looks delicious!
Thanks so much Ari!!!! I look forward to spending more time reading through your site–it looks great!
They are super fun looking. Bet you had none left in just a few minutes or less.
Thankfully I gave them as a bday gift or I would have gobbled them all up!
ps. The “80 Sips” event you attended sounds AMAZING!!!
yum! those look delicious
i wonder how red velvet brownies would taste?!
Oooh! I like how you think! Did a quick search and found these:
http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/2010/05/red-velvet-brownies.html
If you give it a try, let me know!
Cheers!
These look amazing, i cant wait to try them x x x
Thanks Tammy! If you do, give my suggested modifications a try. Cheers!
Those look so yummy. Love your site! Thanks for the post i will have to make these!!!
Thank You!!! It was really fun giving them a spin!
These cookies are right up my alley. These cookies look soooo yummy! I have a recipe on my blog for red velvet chocolate chip cookies, they’re delicious too! http://ezsrecipes.com/2010/03/29/red-velvet-chocolate-chip-cookies/
WOW! Your cookies look so fun and yummy! Thanks for sharing!
I am a fan of red velvet too! That is such a great idea.
…based on looks alone, these are a winner! Adorable!
Thank You so much!!!
my friend and I love RED VELVET anything…great ideas!
Thanks Debbie! Red Velvets are SO fun! Next on my list—Red Velvet Cheesecakes!
This is lovely! Im saving your recipe, you can never be too early to plan for the holidays
You’ve got the right idea! The holidays will be here sooner than we know it!
Cheers!
preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty bummed that you won’t be around for my birthday.
::::sad panda is sad:::
Awwww……I’ll be there in spirit!
I am making these right now and found that the added butter made them hard to roll (I have the dough in the frig to harden a little, not sure if this is what I should be doing) and I used a whole bottle of food coloring and they are still only maroon looking in color.
Definitely add the vanilla as without it they are tasteless.
ok, I have aborted these. I was able to roll them out after placing in the frig. and baked them, they didn’t even smell good. They are tasteless.
Has anyone else made these? what have I done wrong?
Hi Lane…So sorry to hear the troubles this cookie caused you. I have since made them again with the modifications I listed and also refrigerated them to roll it out. If you have a few extra, give them a try tomorrow. Shortbreads always improve in taste and texture with age.
However, if you’re still up for a red velvet cookie, give this other recipe a try by a friend of mine. I know it gives great results:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/chocolate-dipped-red-velvet-cookies/
Cheers and Happy Holidays!
those look so good i am defiantly making those thank for posting
We made these with the suggested modifications and even fridge them but still too soft to roll. We end up using a small scooper and then flatten them instead. Waiting for them to cool before we make a sandwich with your cream cheese frosting!
Hey, your cookies look great. I just made a batch with your modifications but using a pastry cutter, and they rolled well, but bubbled and turned funky in the oven. I think it’s too much butter…