Red Velvet Surprise Inside Cookies

Valentine’s Day is in a couple of weeks and baking these Red Velvet Surprise Inside Cookies has become a tradition in our house.  Not only are these Valentine’s Day cookies irresistibly cute with the red, pink and white sprinkles but they are also irresistibly delicious.

Red Velvet Cookies for Valentines Day

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Valentine’s Day is on February 14, just in case you forgot and these Red Velvet Surprise Inside Cookies make the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert. One bite of these cookies reveals the surprise inside, a chocolaty red velvet center surrounded by a tender almond-flavored cookie that is covered in colorful crunchy sprinkles.  Cute and yummy all in one.

The surprise Red Velvet middle layer

Ready to bake with me? This cookie recipe is very easy to make, no chilling required, yeah for that!

Let’s start with the cookie ingredients

1. Butter
2. Shortening
3. Eggs
4. Vanilla
5. Flour
6. Sugar
7. Baking Powder
8. Salt
9. Powdered Sugar
10. Cocoa Powder
11. Red Food Coloring
12. Red, White & Pink NonPariels

These are the NonPariels I use.  You will need plenty to roll the cookies in. You can use liquid or gel food color, today, I am using McCormick Red Food color that works well in this recipe. The almond flavor of the outer cookie layer really tastes great with the red velvet layer so make sure to add the flavor that dough.

The dough for these cookies is super simple to make, just beat with a mixer and you will end up with one almond-flavored dough and a smaller red velvet dough.

How to make Red Velvet Surprise Inside Cookies

Step 1.   Mix the basic dough in a stand mixer, this will be the butter, sugar, shortening, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt.

Step 2. Remove 3/4 cup of the main dough and put that into a smaller bowl.  Next, add melted butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and red food coloring.  Mix these ingredients into the dough to create the red velvet chocolate middle layer for the cookie.

Step 3. Add almond flavoring to the plain dough.

Step 4.  Prepare two cookies sheets with parchment paper and turn your oven to 375 degrees.

Step 5. Now the fun begins, not that the mixing the dough and turning your oven on wasn’t fun, but this is way more fun.  Using a tablespoon, scoop the almond-flavored dough and roll into balls, then using a teaspoon, scoop the chocolate dough and roll into balls. I made 25 of each.

Step 6. Flatten one of the almond-flavored balls then put the chocolate ball on top and fold over the dough to make a nice ball.

Step 7. Put your sprinkles in a nice big bowl so you can roll the cookie dough balls around. After you roll the two cookie dough balls together, you need to roll the dough ball between your hands several times to warm the dough up so it will get sticky enough for the nonpareils to stick to.  Immediately roll the dough balls in the nonpareils.

Step 8. Place on your baking sheet, and when ready, bake for 12 minutes.

While your cookies are baking go get the broom and dustpan to sweep up all the sprinkles that landed and the floor and rolled clear to the next room.

Now when you open that oven door be prepared to say “Oh how cute.” I swear I say that every time.

Why these are a favorite cookie

• You can change the color of the sprinkles for any occasion
• The middle layer can be different flavors or colors
• Once you bake these cookies you can freeze them for later.
• These cookies are perfect for gift giving and they travel well.

Try these other One Hot Oven Surprise Inside Cookies

I made the same Surprise Inside Cookies for Christmas, using red, green and white sprinkles. And guess what, I made the same cookies for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, and I might be making them for Groundhogs Day. The sprinkle colors can be endless.

USEFUL TOOLS

Print Pin

5 from 8 votes

Red Velvet Surprise Inside Valentine's Cookies

Almond cookies covered in sprinkles with a surprise fudge layer in the middle. These cookies are a perfect treat for Valentine's Day.

Course Cookie

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, Sprinkle Cookies, valentine's day cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

42 minutes

Servings 25

Calories 179kcal

Author Jere @One Hot Oven

Equipment

• Cookie Sheets
• Parchment Paper
• Measuring Spoons

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/3 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2 tbls. cocoa powder sifted
• 1 tbls. melted butter
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. red food coloring
• 2 4 oz bottles Red, white and pink nonpareils

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F, and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat
• In a large bowl beat the butter and shortening until fluffy on medium speed.
• Add the sugar, baking powder and salt; mix until combined
• Beat in the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, scraping sides of the bowl.
• Mix in the flour on medium speed until combined, forming a soft dough.
• Remove 3/4 cup of the dough to a small bowl and add the sifted powdered sugar, cocoa powder, red food coloring, and melted butter. Mix well to combine.
• Add the 1/4 tsp. of almond extract to the remaining dough.
• Measure out 1 tablespoon of almond-flavored dough and make 25 balls with the dough
• Measure out 1 teaspoon the red velvet chocolate dough into 25 1" balls.
• Flatten the almond-flavored dough balls and place a red velvet dough ball in the center and mold the dough around it to make a round ball.
• Roll the dough ball several times in your hands to warm the dough up. The dough ball needs to be warm for the nonpareils to stick to the dough.
• Roll the ball in the nonpareil sprinkles and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes

Measure out all the dough balls to make sure you have 25 of each.  If you have too many or not enough of one just pinch some dough off another dough ball to make 25 of each.

After you roll the two dough balls together, roll the ball in you have several times to warm up the dough to get a bit sticky and immediately roll in the nonpareils.  

If you let the dough balls sit and then roll in the nonpareils the dough won't be sticky enough.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.2g | Fat: 8.4g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 30mg

Valentine’s Day Cookies and Tea

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.

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