Stuffed Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies
Like a delicious bite of red velvet cake, these stuffed red velvet cookies cream cheese cookies are chewy and soft. They’re filled with a tangy and dreamy cream cheese filling. Absolutely delicious. Rolled in granulated sugar for a pretty sparkle.
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Stuffed Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies
Like a delicious bite of red velvet cake, these stuffed red velvet cookies are chewy and soft with a dreamy cream cheese filling. It’s easy to make stuffed cookies, just make sure you have the time to freeze the cream cheese discs.
Have you ever tried a cookie stuffed with cream cheese filling? A few weeks ago I wouldn’t have raised my hand. During a trip to the local bakery I saw a new stuffed cookie in the display case. What genius idea was this?! Naturally, we bought the stuffed cookie, split it, and then enjoyed the tangy cream cheese filling.
After some trial and error in getting the filling right, deciding how much dye to use, etc., I took a bite of this last batch and felt that burst of excitement when I realized I got a recipe right.
These cheerful and glittery cookies (thanks to rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar) are great for any occasion. You can bake them up for Christmas, Valentine’s day, or just because you love red velvet. If you’re a red velvet fan, then this one’s for you.
So What’s A Stuffed Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookie?
These stuffed red velvet cream cheese cookies are the best mix of a vanilla, chocolate, and tangy cream cheese flavor. The surprise cream cheese center is what makes this cookie so GOOD!
What’s the texture like? Chewy. Soft. Creamy. Dreamy (does that count as a texture? to me it does).
The addition of buttermilk in this cookie recipe gives these cookies their extra soft texture (just like when you make a red velvet cake!).
Red Velvet Cookie Dough Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk (I don’t recommend substituting with regular milk)
- Red food gel dye (not liquid)
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
- Full fat block-style cream cheese (full fat creates the delicious creamy filling)
- Powdered sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla Extract
A few helpful tips
How To Make Stuffed Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies
Start with the cream cheese filling! You want to make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it’s easy to whip and to avoid lumps. In a medium mixing bowl using hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, and vanilla on high speed until smooth.
It’s easier to pipe cream cheese filling discs in a piping bag but you can also use a spoon or cookie scoop. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe about 2 teaspoons of filling into round discs. Place the tray in the freezer to set for at least an hour. Don’t skip this step! If you wrap the cookie dough around warm cream cheese it won’t work. Baking warm cream cheese filling will be a big cookie mess.
Wait to make the cookie dough after the cream cheese filling sets or when there’s about 10 minutes left of freezing time.
Make the cookie dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, whip the softened butter for 1 minute on high speed. Add the granulated and brown sugar and mix on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add the egg and mix on medium speed until combined. Add the vanilla extract, buttermilk, and red food gel dye and mix until combined. It might look slightly curdled, that’s ok!
Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Use a medium sized cookie scoop (1.5 tbsp or 0.75 oz). Roll into a ball with your hands, then gently press it into a thick disc.
Take a frozen cream cheese disc and put it in the middle of the flattened cookie dough (as shown in the image above on the left). Fold the dough over and pinch it together into a sealed ball so that no cream cheese filling shows. Roll it gently in-between your hands if it’s not round and then roll in granulated sugar. Place the dough a few inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake on the center oven rack for 12-14 minutes. The cookie tops should be puffy and crinkles with set edges.
Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack. If you let them cool on the baking sheet, the edges will set nicely.
Storing & Freezing
Red velvet cream cheese cookies are okay to store at room temperature for 2 days in an airtight container.
After that, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days (or a full week in the fridge). In my opinion, these cookies taste great cold, but you can let them reach room temperature before serving.
You can freeze baked cookies for up to a month in a freezer safe bag or container. Let them thaw before eating.
RECIPE CARD
Stuffed Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand held mixer)
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz full-fat block style cream cheese, softened to room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60g)
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (8g)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Red Velvet Cookies
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (30g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tsp red food gel dye (not liquid)
Instructions
Cream Cheese Discs
- Make the cream cheese filling. In a medium mixing bowl using hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, and vanilla on high speed until smooth. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag (or large ziplock bag) and snip off the tip. You can also use a spoon but is messier. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe about 2 teaspoons of filling into round discs. Place the tray in the freezer to set for at least an hour.4 oz full-fat block style cream cheese, softened to room temperature, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, ½ tsp vanilla extract
Cookie Dough
- After the filling sets, make the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃) and move the oven rack to the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the dry ingredients, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, whip the softened butter for 1 minute on high speed. Add the granulated and brown sugar and mix on high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and mix on medium speed until combined. Add the vanilla extract, buttermilk, and food gel dye and mix until combine. It might look slightly curdled, that's ok!1 large egg, room temperature, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp buttermilk, room temperature, 1 tsp red food gel dye (not liquid)
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Use a medium sized cookie scoop (1.5 tbsp or 0.75 oz). Roll it into a ball with your hands, then gently press it into a thick disc. I hold the dough ball in my palm and use my other palm to gently press down.
- Take a frozen cream cheese disc and put it in the middle of the flattened cookie dough. Fold the dough over and pinch it together into a sealed ball so that no cream cheese filling shows. Gently re-roll the dough into a ball shape. Roll in granulated sugar and place the cookie balls a few inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. The cookie tops should be puffy and crinkle tops and set edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, then move to the fridge for 5 days. Or store in the refrigerator for a week. Eat them cold or let them reach room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Freezing: Cookies can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight bag or container.
