Red Velvet Santa Cookies

Topped with cookie dough and sprinkles, these festive Red Velvet Santa Cookies are one of the best decadent holiday treats!

If you want the perfect cookie to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve, no further than these Red Velvet Santa Cookies! They are packed with holiday flavor and topped with festive goodies - not to mention that they certainly look like they would be Santa's favorite cookie. Lucky for you, these cookies are easy to make, and will definitely be the talk of the North Pole. Just don't forget to enjoy them with a tall glass of milk!

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer and a mixing bowl to combine the ingredients to make the cookie dough. Once mixed, the dough should be quite soft. Don't forget to add the red food coloring to get that iconic red velvet color!

Stir chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and crushed peppermint into the dough. This will add some extra holiday flavor to every bite!

Use a large cookie scoop to add large balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. For soft and chewy cookies, be careful not to over-bake. When removed from the oven, the cookies will be slightly gooey in the center.

While the cookies are cooling, make the icing. Top the cooled cookies with icing, and then add all of the decadent toppings, including chocolate chip cookie dough, mini marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and of course, holiday sprinkles! 

Once decorated, don't you agree that they look like Santa's dream cookies?!

Red Velvet Santa Cookies

Servings: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp red food coloring
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup peppermints, crushed

Icing Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk

Topping Ingredients:

• ½ cup edible chocolate chip cookie dough
• ½ cup mini marshmallows
• ⅛ cup white chocolate chips
• ¼ cup holiday sprinkles

Cookie Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 410º F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes. The butter/sugar mixture will be fluffy and light in color.
4. Add one egg to the butter mixture, one at a time, and then stir in the vanilla.
5. Add in the red food coloring, and beat at low speed until completely combined.
6. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
7. While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until you have a soft dough.
8. Mix chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and crushed peppermint to the dough.
9. Refrigerate the dough, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until chilled.
10. Use a large cookie scoop to create 3.5 oz dough balls.
11. Stagger 4 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet. Lightly press the dough balls to slightly flatten them.
12. Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes. Do not over-bake! The cookies will be slightly gooey in the center.
13. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Icing Directions:

1. Add all icing ingredients into a small mixing bowl.
2. Whisk the mixture until fully combined.
3. The icing glaze should be thick. If it's too thin, add a little more powdered sugar until you get the right consistency.

Cookie Decorating:

1. Spread icing in a circle on top of the cookies.
2. Top each cookie with the cookie dough pieces, white chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows.
3. Use a spoon to drizzle more icing on top, and top with holiday sprinkles.

Tips: 

• Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
• Freeze: Freeze cookies for up to 1 month. Stack cookies in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper placed between each layer to prevent the icing from sticking to the other cookies.
• For best results (a soft and chewy cookie), don't over-bake the cookies.

Not only are these cookies packed with everything Santa could possibly want in a cookie, but they really are easy to make and taste delightful. Just don't forget to have a glass of milk nearby! If you decide to give this recipe a try, I'd love to hear all about it! Please share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest!

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