These red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches are perfectly fudgy and are filled with a tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting.
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red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches
Who doesn’t love a good sandwich cookie? These small batch red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches feature the *fudgiest* brownie cookies, and are sandwiched with a delicious tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting. These are perfect for a holiday cookie box or for gifting on valentine’s day! Below you’ll find all the information you need to make these delicious cookie sandwiches.
So let’s get into it! 🙂
why you’ll love these red velvet brownie cookies:
- Brownie cookies: not just a chocolate cookie, but a fudgy, brownie-esque cookie.
- Cream cheese frosting: super creamy, slightly tangy and not as sweet as traditional buttercream.
- Sandwich cookies: the perfect excuse to eat two cookies.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Mix the dough carefully:
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Over mixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies thicker and more tough in texture.
Under bake for perfect cookies:
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. Once the cookies look just a little wet on top still, they are ready to come out. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
The secret to perfectly round cookies:
Wanna know the secret to perfectly round cookies? It’s cookie scooting! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is just slightly larger than your cookies and place it over one of the cookies. Gently swirl the bowl around the cookie to make the cookie perfectly round (and slightly thicker). And that’s all there is to it!
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for red velvet brownie cookies
red velvet brownie cookies:
- Semi sweet chocolate chips: We will use these to melt into the dough for the brownie base.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cookies. You can use salted butter in it’s place, just be sure to omit the added salt.
- Dark brown sugar: for moisture, flavor, and sweetness. In a pinch you could use light brown sugar here.
- Egg: for moisture and for binding the batter together. Also, the main contributor for the crackled top!
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: for flavor and lends a bit of structure to the cookie. I recommend dutch processed cocoa powder for the best flavor but you could also use natural unsweetened cocoa powder here.
- All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
- Baking powder: for helping the cookies rise.
- Salt: helps to bring out and balance the sweetness of the cookies.
- Red food dye: I recommend using a gel dye as it’s much more vibrant than a water-based dye.
cream cheese frosting:
- Cream cheese: the base of the frosting, lends a tangy contrast to the sweet brownie cookies.
- Unsalted butter: to stabilize the cream cheese frosting and thicken it up a bit. You can use salted butter in it’s place, just be sure to omit the added salt.
- Powdered sugar: to sweeten up the frosting.
- Salt: balances and brings out the flavor and sweetness of the frosting.
- Vanilla: for flavor. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste here.
how to make red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches
Here are the steps to follow to make these red velvet brownie cookies. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.
- Melt together the butter and chocolate chips, then mix in the cocoa powder and red food coloring.
- In another bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Gently mix the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
- Add in the dry ingredients and gently mix together until just combined. Bake, fill with frosting, and enjoy!
red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches recipe q&a
why is my brownie cookie dough so runny?
The batter for these cookies more resembles brownie batter than cookie dough. That’s because, essentially, I’ve taken my fudge brownies and added more flour to them and some baking powder to have enough structure to be a cookie, but not too much flour that it would resemble more of a chocolate cookie rather than brownies. So essentially, yes the batter is more runny than your standard cookie dough would be, but that’s completely normal so do not try to add in more flour!
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Obviously, they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
can I make these cookies ahead of time?
I would not recommend making the dough ahead of time, as I’ve found that the cookies lose their crinkle on top when you let the dough sit for too long before baking. You can bake off the brownie cookies and keep them stored in an airtight container for a few days before frosting and serving them, or freeze the cookies to be frosted at a later date.
how should I store these cookies?
Because these cookies are filled with cream cheese frosting, they do need to be refrigerated once they are frosted. Otherwise, you can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and the frosting in the fridge for up to 2 days before assembling and serving.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Red Velvet Brownie Cookie Sandwiches
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownie Cookies
- 90 g semi sweet chocolate chips (½ c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
- 15 g natural unsweetened cocoa powder (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 ½ tsp. gel red food dye
- 90 g light brown sugar (⅓ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 egg
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 110 g cream cheese room temperature (½ c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter room temperature (4 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 160 g powdered sugar (1 ⅓ c.)
Instructions
Red Velvet Brownie Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and butter until the mixture is smooth. Then, mix in the cocoa powder and red food dye and set aside.
- To another small mixing bowl, add in the egg and brown sugar. Vigorously whisk the egg and sugar together for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. (This part is important for getting the crackled top!)
- Add the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and mix gently until combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients just until no flour streaks remain. Note that the batter will be more liquidy like brownie batter, not as firm as cookie dough – this is normal!
- Use a small cookie scoop (1.5 tbsp.) to dish out the cookies evenly spaced apart on the lined baking tray.
- Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, take a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies and swirl it around over the cookies to make them a little more uniform and circular.
- Wait for the cookies to fully cool to room temperature before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a small mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, salt, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Then, beat in the powdered sugar in two additions until smooth.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, then frost the bottom of half of the cookies.
- Sandwich the cookies together, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.