These beautiful Red Velvet Sprinkle Cookies have a delightful surprise filling inside. Take one bite to reveal the colorful red velvet filling covered with a simple sugar cookie and pretty red, white, and pink sprinkles. Bake for Valentine’s Day or for any day you want a sweet and colorful cookie.
This page may contain affiliate links, please see my full DISCLOSURE for policy details.
Valentine’s Day is on February 14, just in case you forgot and this cookie makes the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. Who said you need to give your special someone chocolates? Bake a batch of these easy to make and pretty-as-can-be cookies for your celebration.
The base for this cookie is a simple sugar cookie recipe that is divided into two batters. Keep one plain, and flavor and color the other dough for the red velvet filling. The fun part in making thee cookies is you get to make a lot of dough balls and roll them in the nonpareil sprinkles.
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 Surprise Inside Sprinkle Cookies
- For St. Patrick’s Day make these pretty green and white Mint Surprise Inside Cookies
- Fill your Easter baskets with Raspberry Sprinkle Cookies that are covered in the prettiest pastel sprinkles
- We like to celebrate baseball and these San Francisco Giant Orange and Black Sprinkles Cookies are a fun treat
- Bake a batch of the Red, White, and Blue Sprinkle cookies for your 4th of July Celebration
- Ghosts and goblins love these Halloween Sprinkle Sugar Cookies with a cinnamon filling
- Santa loves these Christmas Sprinkle Cookies with a chocolate filling. Bake a batch for some delicious holiday gifts!
Let’s start with the cookie ingredients
For these cookies, I prefer to use the nonpareil sprinkles which are just tiny round sugar balls. This type of sprinkle sticks to the dough better keeps its color when baked. and they just look super pretty on a cookie. The Valentine Nonpareil Sprinkles are what you need. You can use liquid or gel food color, today, I am using McCormick Red Food color that works well in this recipe. The vanilla flavor of the outer cookie layer really tastes great with the red velvet layer so make sure to add the flavor to that dough with vanilla extract.
Ready to bake with me? This cookie recipe is very easy to make, no chilling required, yeah for that! The dough for these cookies is super simple to make, just beat with a mixer and you will end up with one vanilla-flavored dough and a smaller red velvet dough.
Let’s Bake Cookies
Step 1. Mix the butter and shortening to combine then add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. This is the basic dough.
Step 2. Remove ¾ cup of the dough and put that into a smaller bowl. Next, add melted butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and the red food coloring, and mix this with a spoon to create the red velvet middle layer for the cookie.
Step 3. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper and turn your oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 4. Now the fun begins, not that mixing the dough and turning your oven on wasn’t fun, but this is way more fun. Using a tablespoon, scoop the vanilla-flavored dough and roll it into balls, then using a teaspoon, scoop the red velvet dough and roll it into balls. I made 25 of each.
Step 5. To make the complete cookie ball with the red velvet center take the vanilla-flavored dough and flatten it into a round disk.
Step 6. Take the red velvet dough ball and place it in the center of the disk and then wrap the plain dough around the red velvet dough to form a larger 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.
Baking tips
- Roll each of the dough into balls, I usually get 25 of each. Sometimes I have to pinch dough from one or two balls to get enough dough to make 25.
- Make sure the nonpareil are in a large bowl so you can roll the dough ball around.
- Once you make the big dough ball immediately roll that in the sprinkles while it is still warm and a bit sticky. If you wait to roll the balls the sprinkles will not stick.
- You do not have to chill this dough, but if you find it to be too soft, pop the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm it up.
Red Velvet Surprise Inside Valentine's Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 ½ cups AP flour
- ⅓ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tbls. cocoa powder sifted
- 1 tbls. melted butter
- 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, the egg and egg yolks and vanilla then mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the flour baking powder and salt on medium speed until combined, forming a soft dough.
- Remove ¾ 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.
- Measure out 1 tablespoon of almond-flavored dough and make 25 balls with the dough
- Measure out 1 teaspoon the red velvet dough into 25 1" balls.
- Flatten the vanilla-flavored dough balls into a disk 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. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for several days.
Notes
Nutrition
First Published: February 05, 2017… Last Updated: Feb 1, 2021
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Follow One Hot Oven
Like what you see? Make sure you are following One Hot Oven for more tasty sweet and savory recipes!
Pinterest |Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |
Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog. Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!
About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
Katie
I absolutely love these, they’re so cute! I’m going to make some green versions for St Patricks Day!
Katie xoxo
Paula
These were so tasty. My boys enjoyed making them with me and of course eating them! thanks for another great recipe
Ramona
Wow, these cookies will be real fun to make for this Valentines. They sound easy to make and they’re so beautiful too. My kids will love these and might even join me making them. Thank you for sharing!
Jacqueline Debono
These are my favourite Valentine’s cookies. I made them last year and am planning to do them again this year too!
Kari Heron
Is it any surprise that these cookies were a major hit at my sone’s school? Thanks for always delivering great recipes Jere!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
These are the perfect Valentine’s day cookies! I love how you had the step by step instructions to make them. I’m making these for my family for next weekend.
Chef Dennis
I’ll be making these cookies for Valentines Day! Thanks for a delicious recipe
Leslie
This is the perfect recipe for my little Valentines party with my kids. I just pinned it to make this week with them! Thank you!
Lesli Schwartz
These are just the prettiest, most romantic cookies! I love that they’re layered and that red velvet middle is just perfect! ❤️
Amy Liu Dong
Wow! These cookies are such cuties. I loved it, kids will definitely enjoy this as they eat it. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, can’t wait for the next one.
Stine Mari
These cookies are gorgeous and would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. I love red velvet and these really knocked it out of the park.
Emily
What an adorable Valentine’s day treat! My six year old and I love to bake and we are going to make these again on Valentine’s day.
Lathiya
Oh how cute the cookies looks. I loved this idea. Am sure my kids will love it.
Nart | Cooking with Nart
Love a good surprise in my cookies. These look perfect for Valentine’s day!
Jere Cassidy
Surprises are always fun!!!
Sonila
Sprinkles, red velvet cookies!! Yes, definitely these can be the best valentine’s cookies ever. Such a great idea and they look amazing. Have to make them, thanks for the recipe.
Jere Cassidy
You are so welcome and thanks for the kind comment.
Jacqueline Debono
You made me laugh with the part about cleaning up the sprinkles that have dropped! These cookies are definitely cute! As you have done, they are fab for lots of special occasions!
Jere Cassidy
Seriously, these are my go-to cookies for so many events.
Simone
Oooh these are so adorable & look yummy! Perfect for Valentine’s Day or birthdays.
Jere Cassidy
Thanks, they are always a hit at parties.
Christy Boston's Kitchen
These are really pretty. I think I will have to surprise my husband with them for Valentine’s day!
Jere Cassidy
That would be a fun and delicious surprise.
Beth
Oh, a surprise fudge filling is so much more fun than a fudgy frosting any day. How clever and versatile!
Jere Cassidy
I agree it’s such a nice addition to the cookies.
Raquel
This is a creative idea for a delicious cookie. So fun!
Liz
These look fun and festively delish
angela
So fun and beautiful. My kids will love these and so versatile = great for xmas too I think!
Jere Cassidy
Kids love rolling the dough and rolling in the sprinkles. Plus, they love eating them.
Sharon
What cute little cookies with an extra bonus of a chocolatey surprise, yes please!
Diana
Absolutely love these cookies! They’re so pretty and the surprise is such a great idea. Perfect for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day!
Dannii
What cute cookies. I bet kids would have so much fun making these too.
Jere Cassidy
My kids have made a lot of these cookies. Now they are grown and still ask for them.
Pam Greer
Such a cute idea! I love how they easily can be made for almost any holiday!!
Helena
These are incredible! The way you made them, the way you presented them… Everything shows how passionate you were about making these cookies. Thank you for sharing the result of your passion.
Jere Cassidy
Thanks so much, I do love making these cute cookies.
Kasia
These look so festive. I’d have to try to make them next Valentine’s Day.
thepretendchef
Wow these look so good, will have to try making them.
Tabitha
Oh my gosh, these look so good!! <3
Julia @ PB & Julia
Mmmmm these look amazing! I LOVE red velvet anything!
OneHotOven
I agree. Red Velvet was my wedding cake.
David
This looks so amazing. Definitely going to have to try out this recipe.
Kylie Kreischer
Those look incredible!!!
Andrea
these cookies look incredible! I am so going to make these for my daughter’s group of friends she is having over on Valentine’s Day
Renee
How cute! I love sprinkles…….and red velvet…how could you go wrong?
Laurie
OMG! My kids would love to help make these. So much fun! Your pictures make them irresistible.
Vanessa
These look so good! I’ll have to add these to my Christmas cookie list! (Although, I’ll need to practice making them before that because they look so good!)