Description
These Red Velvet Spritz Cookies are delightful, buttery, and tender cookies with a vibrant red hue, perfect for festive occasions or everyday treats. Made with cocoa powder, a hint of vinegar to enhance the color, and piped into charming shapes using a cookie press, they offer both visual appeal and delicious flavor. Easy to prepare and quick to bake, these cookies pair wonderfully with tea or coffee.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp red gel food coloring (adjust to desired color intensity)
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar (optional, helps enhance color)
Optional
- Sugar for rolling (optional, for added texture)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to ensure the cookies do not stick.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color, about 3 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat the large egg, vanilla extract, and red gel food coloring into the butter mixture until smooth and evenly mixed. Optionally, add a splash of white vinegar to intensify the red color.
- Combine Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mix into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. The dough should be soft but firm enough to hold its shape when piped through a cookie press.
- Pipe the Cookies: Fill a cookie press with the prepared dough. Choose your desired shape disc, such as stars or hearts, and press the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each cookie about 1 inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Add Sugar Topping (Optional): Lightly sprinkle sugar over the cookies for additional texture and sparkle if desired.
- Bake the Cookies: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges become slightly firm. Watch closely to prevent over-baking or burning, as spritz cookies bake quickly.
- Cool: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and Enjoy: Once cooled, enjoy these vibrant Red Velvet Spritz Cookies with a cup of tea or coffee. They also make an excellent festive gift when packaged nicely.
- Optional Decoration: Decorate the cooled cookies with icing or sprinkles for added flair and festive appeal.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to achieve a deeper red color without diluting the dough.
- If you don’t have a cookie press, piping bags with star or round tips can be used alternatively.
- Adding vinegar is optional but helps maintain the vibrant red color by reacting with the cocoa powder.
- Make sure not to over-bake; spritz cookies remain soft and tender when baked just until edges firm.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- For gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend designed for baking.
