Red and White Velvet Cookies

Red velvet cookies are back and they're better than ever! You guys went crazy over the ones I posted two years ago, so I knew I had to bring them back in a another form! This time, instead of being stuffed with a cheesecake filling, they are being dipped in white chocolate. Ohhh yeahhh (in Kool-Aid man voice).

It all starts with a red velvet cake mix, which is my favorite way to make red velvet cookies because I won't have to see how much red food coloring goes into these. What you don't know can't hurt you, right? Though technically, I do know considering this stuff stains everything it touches. Duncan Hines couldn't have possibly used any less than 80 gallons of red food coloring in it's mix. Kidddding.

On a serious note, red velvet cake mix is a really great way to make red velvet cookies. It's easy and it's fail-proof, and those are things to look for during this hectic time of the year. So, cake mix it is! You just add in an egg, some oil, some buttermilk, and some vanilla extract for added flavor. Then, you shape it into a log, wrap it up, and pop it in the fridge.

After an hour, you take it out and you slice and bake. The dough might crumble slightly when you cut it into slices, but it's nothing a little tender loving from your hands can't fix. Just mush it back together into shape and it'll be good as new, I promise. And it will bake up into gorgeous perfectly rounded cookies. By the way, other than making slice and bake cookies in high-school Home Ec, I've never made them before so this was a pretty exciting experience. I feel like I live under a rock sometimes. Anyways, mooving on.

Next comes the fun part. NOT. We all know melting white chocolate can be very tricky and a real tear-jerker when it becomes one big unsalvageable lump. Well, if you do your research, everything should go smoothly(literally) like it did for me. As everyone always says, it helps to use good quality white chocolate. And a brand like Ghiradelli which is readily available in all supermarkets works just great, so no worries about searching for fancy white chocolate or anything.

So yeah, dipping. These aren't literally dipped, so please nobody go dunking their cookie in white chocolate. I didn't know how the cookie would stand up against the white chocolate nor did I want any red cookie crumbs falling in, so I basically just spooned the chocolate on top of half the cookie and then let the excess drip off. It worked wonderfully. You could cover the entire cookie if you're feeling adventerous. But I like the half-moon idea, it goes real well with the current holiday color scheme.

And that's all folks! Come back tomorrow for a last-minute cookie recipe! P.S. It involves caramel :)

Red and White Velvet Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

One 16.5 oz red velvet cake mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups white chocolate chips
vegetable oil, as needed

Directions:

Sift red velvet cake mix and baking powder into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together egg, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients. Beat everything together on medium speed until well-combined and a dough forms.

Shape the dough into a log, 12 inches in length. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Unwrap chilled dough and using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/2" slices. If the dough crumbles, simply pat it together and reshape into a disk.

Place cookie slices on prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a microwave safe bowl or over a double boiler, melt white chocolate chips. Add vegetable oil as needed to thin the chocolate and make it easier for spreading.

Using a spoon, dollop the chocolate over half of the cookie. Hold the cookie upright and allow the excess to drip off, then place on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and allow the chocolate to set at room temperature. Repeat for remaining cookies.

Store cookies in an airtight container until ready to serve.