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
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 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
- Butter
- Shortening
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Red Food Coloring
- 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.
Here’s your Red Velvet Cookie pin!
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
Red Velvet Surprise Inside Valentine's Cookies
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
Nutrition
Valentine’s Day Cookies and Tea
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.
For even more great recipes and ideas follow One Hot Oven on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Oh how cute the cookies looks. I loved this idea. Am sure my kids will love it.
Love a good surprise in my cookies. These look perfect for Valentine’s day!
Surprises are always fun!!!
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.
You are so welcome and thanks for the kind comment.
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!
Seriously, these are my go-to cookies for so many events.
Oooh these are so adorable & look yummy! Perfect for Valentine’s Day or birthdays.
Thanks, they are always a hit at parties.
These are really pretty. I think I will have to surprise my husband with them for Valentine’s day!
That would be a fun and delicious surprise.
Oh, a surprise fudge filling is so much more fun than a fudgy frosting any day. How clever and versatile!
I agree it’s such a nice addition to the cookies.
This is a creative idea for a delicious cookie. So fun!
These look fun and festively delish
So fun and beautiful. My kids will love these and so versatile = great for xmas too I think!
Kids love rolling the dough and rolling in the sprinkles. Plus, they love eating them.
What cute little cookies with an extra bonus of a chocolatey surprise, yes please!
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!
What cute cookies. I bet kids would have so much fun making these too.
My kids have made a lot of these cookies. Now they are grown and still ask for them.
Such a cute idea! I love how they easily can be made for almost any holiday!!
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.
Thanks so much, I do love making these cute cookies.
These look so festive. I’d have to try to make them next Valentine’s Day.
Wow these look so good, will have to try making them.
Oh my gosh, these look so good!! <3
Mmmmm these look amazing! I LOVE red velvet anything!
I agree. Red Velvet was my wedding cake.
Oh my goodness, these looks absolutely amazing! Pinning. 🙂
This looks so amazing. Definitely going to have to try out this recipe.
Those look incredible!!!
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
How cute! I love sprinkles…….and red velvet…how could you go wrong?
OMG! My kids would love to help make these. So much fun! Your pictures make them irresistible.
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!)