These red velvet chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and full of classic red velvet flavor. Their deep crimson color and bright white chocolate chips make them a true showstopper.

A close-up of a red velvet cookie with a chewy inside and melty chocolate chips.

What would happen if you mixed the velvety soft texture of a red velvet cupcake with the crispy, gooey goodness of a chocolate chip cookie? You would get these extra delicious and easy red velvet chocolate chip cookies! They have a perfect red velvet flavor with just a hint of chocolate. Mix in some white chocolate chips and you have the ideal Valentine’s, Galentine’s, or holiday cookie. 

You can pair these cookies with my cut-out sugar cookies, chocolate thumbprints, and black forest brownies for the best Valentine’s cookie plate. For more Valentine’s Day Desserts, make my strawberry cake, strawberry truffles, or chocolate mousse!

Why You Will Love These Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Classic red velvet flavor with half the work!
  • Velvet soft texture and gooey goodness. Mix a light and velvety texture with a crisp, gooey chocolate chip cookie, and you have absolute heaven. These cookies are the best of both worlds. 
  • Perfect for the holidays! The deep crimson color is perfect for Valentine’s day, Christmas, or the Fourth of July. Mix in holiday-inspired M&M’s to get the colors out of this world.
A batch of red velvet chocolate chip cookies with a deep crimson color and soft texture.

Professional Tips for Making Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Don’t over-cream the butter and sugar. Work with cold but pliable butter to keep these cookies thick and chewy. When creaming it with the sugar, don’t overdo it; you don’t want the mixture to lighten too much. 
  • Add the white chocolate right before the flour is fully incorporated. Adding the white chocolate when the flour isn’t fully incorporated yet will help prevent the gluten from over-developing. This helps keep the cookie chewy and tender.
  • Chill the cookie dough before baking. For the best flavor and texture, chill the cookies at least two hours before baking.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Ingredients for red velvet chocolate chip cookies neatly arranged on a white marble countertop.
  • Unsalted butter
  • Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is here for sweetness, but if you add too much in proportion to the butter and flour, the cookies will spread rather than stay tall and chewy.
  • Dark brown sugar: Dark brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture, keeping the cookies softer while adding a light molasses flavor. You can use light brown sugar, but the flavor will be slightly less robust.
  • Large eggs: The whole egg adds fat, moisture, and leavening. The fat from the egg yolk adds richness and helps keep the cookie chewy. 
  • Red food dye: The red food dye gives the cookies the classic red velvet color. You can skip the liquid food coloring or adjust the amount to your preference.
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cocoa powder: I use Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it has a rich, deep flavor; however, traditional red velvet cake didn’t use food dye. Instead, the combination of unprocessed cocoa powder and an acid like white vinegar created the red color and slightly tangy flavor. In these cookies, you can use either type of unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Baking Powder: Double-acting baking powder gives a more even rise and a chewier cookie than using baking soda. 
  • Kosher salt
  • White chocolate chips: Use a good quality white chocolate chip for your cookies! You can even use a white chocolate bar and chop it up and mix it right in. 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Add a frosting. Top the cookies with cream cheese frosting, Chocolate fudge frosting, or brown sugar buttercream from my mini funfetti cupcake recipe. You could even turn them into fun red velvet cookie sandwiches.
  • Change the mix-ins! Switch it up with dark or milk chocolate chips, yogurt chips or butterscotch chips. You could also add Valentine’s M&M’s. I know I say this all the time with cookie recipes, but if you want that extra professional look, make sure to put extra on top!
  • Change the color. I know they aren’t red velvet anymore, but imagine a blue and white cookie for Hanukkah or Easter multi-colored pastel cookies! You could go the extra mile and match these to school colors for a bake sale!

How to Make Red Velvet Cookies

Use these instructions to make the perfectly thick and chewy red velvet chocolate chip cookies every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F convection or 350°F standard.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside. 

Sift your dry ingredients together if your cocoa powder is clumpy. The clumps won’t come out during mixing, and you don’t want pockets of cocoa powder in your cookies. 

Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar on medium speed until a smooth paste forms. 

Avoid aerating the mixture too much, as this helps keep the cookies thick and chewy.

Dry ingredients being whisked together in a bowl for red velvet chocolate chip cookies.
Flour, cocoa powder, and leavening agents whisked together for red velvet cookies.
Butter and sugars in a mixing bowl before creaming for red velvet cookies.

Step 4: Beat in the egg. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the vanilla and red food dye. Once it is incorporated, beat it well. 

Butter and sugars creamed together for red velvet cookie dough.
An egg being mixed into the red velvet cookie dough to create a rich texture.
Vanilla extract added to the cookie dough mixture to enhance flavor.

Step 5: Slowly add the flour mixture in several additions. Let each one almost completely incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times with a silicone spatula.

It is a delicate balance of timing. Add the dry ingredients too quickly, and it will take longer to mix in, and gluten will develop, but add them too slowly, the flour will be worked, and gluten will develop anyway!

Red food coloring added to the cookie dough to achieve a vibrant red hue.
Flour being added gradually to the wet ingredients to form the cookie dough.
Red velvet cookie dough mixed to a smooth consistency before adding chocolate chips.

Step 6: Once all the flour mixture has been incorporated, add the white chocolate chips and mix until combined. 

White chocolate chips evenly distributed throughout the red velvet cookie dough.
White chocolate chips being gently folded into red velvet cookie dough.

Step 7: Scoop or spoon out golf ball-sized portions of the cookie dough. Roll each portion into a ball and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

If your butter is not too soft, this cookie dough does not need to be chilled before baking. You can refrigerate the scooped dough for 2 hours or overnight and bake it chilled. They will spread less. 

Step 8: Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies will spread and look matte on top. The tops will begin to have little cracks and will no longer look shiny. 

For extra crunch, roll the cookies in sugar before baking. 

Step 9: Allow to cool on the sheet pan (not a cooling rack) completely before enjoying. Ideally, the cooling allows the crumb to set, but I am not a baking tyrant, and I won’t even give a second glance if one or two disappear before cooling! Taste testing is the cook’s prerogative.

Red velvet cookie dough scooped into evenly sized portions on a baking sheet.
Freshly baked red velvet chocolate chip cookies cooling on a wire rack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store my red velvet chocolate chip cookies?

Store your baked cookies well-wrapped or in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 2 months and have some ready-to-bake cookies any time you want!

What is the best red food dye to use?

My preferred food coloring is AmeriColor gel or Chef Master red food coloring, but McCormick is also a great option. Gel food coloring will produce a more intense color than liquid.

Do I need to chill the cookie dough?

If your butter is cold but pliable, you don’t need to chill the cookie before baking; just be aware that it will spread more. Baking from frozen will give you the thickest and chewiest red velvet cookie.

A group of red velvet chocolate chip cookies arranged on a serving block.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!

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A close-up of a red velvet cookie with a chewy inside and melty chocolate chips.

red velvet chocolate chip cookies

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  • Author: Lindsey Farr
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 15 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

These red velvet chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and full of classic red velvet flavor. Their deep crimson color and bright white chocolate chips make them a true showstopper.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold but pliable (113g)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (115g)
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (57g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon red food dye (5g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (155g)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (30g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F convection or 350°F standard.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside. 
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar on medium speed until a smooth paste forms. 
  4. Beat in the egg. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the vanilla and red food dye. Once it is incorporated, beat it well. 
  5. Slowly add the flour mixture in several additions. Let each one almost completely incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times with a silicone spatula.
  6. Once all the flour mixture has been incorporated, add the white chocolate chips and mix until combined. 
  7. Scoop or spoon out golf ball-sized portions of the cookie dough. Roll each portion into a ball and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies will spread and look matte on top. The tops will begin to have little cracks and will no longer look shiny. 
  9. Allow to cool on the sheet pan (not a cooling rack) completely before enjoying. Ideally, the cooling allows the crumb to set, but I am not a baking tyrant, and I won’t even give a second glance if one or two disappear before cooling! Taste testing is the cook’s prerogative.

Notes

Yield – 15 cookies 

Presentation: Once the cookies come out of the oven, press a few chocolate chips on top for a delicious finish. 

Flavor Tips –The quality of the white chocolate plays a significant role in the overall flavor of these cookies. If you want to splurge, I prefer Ghirardelli Classic White Chocolate Chips or Guittard.

Storage—The baked red velvet chocolate chip cookies can be stored well-wrapped or in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed cookie recipes, like my cheesecake stuffed red velvet crinkle cookies!