Yield: 6 red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches // Total Time: 40 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Fudge brownie cookies sandwiched with a tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting, made small batch of course!
Small batch 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.
Why do you post small batch recipes?
I love making small batch bakes because they are the perfect size myself and others who don’t have a lot of people to bake for in their home. Small batch helps cut down on waste and eliminates the feeling that all that excess dessert MUST be eaten. Here on my blog I post a lot of small batch bakes but I will throw in the occasional “standard” batch recipe (and some bundt cakes.) Most of my recipes can easily be doubled or tripled to fit your need, so long as you use grams to measure!
Recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
- Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient and can easily throw off a recipe. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Mix the dough carefully
- When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies super tough and chewy. You’ll want to be extra careful when you add in the matcha as well!
Underbake for perfect cookies
- Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. If you used a 1.5 tbsp. cookie scoop & use an oven thermometer, these will be ready to take out at the 10 minute mark!
Cookie scooting
- 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!
Ingredients and substitutions
For the red velvet brownie cookies:
Semi sweet chocolate chips: We will use these to melt into the dough for the brownie base. You can certainly use a semi sweet chocolate baking bar, just note that the crackled top will not be as prevalent and the cookies will most likely spread to be more thin.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cookies. You can use salted butter in it’s place, just be sure to omit the added salt.
Light brown sugar: for texture, helping form that crackled top & moisture.
Egg: for moisture and for binding the dough together. The egg and sugar will interact to help form the crackled top as well!
Natural unsweetened cocoa powder: for flavor and lends a bit of structure to the cookie.
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder: for making the cookies rise and be thick!
Baking soda: reacts with the brown sugar to help 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.
For the 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!
How to: small batch red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches
Here are the steps to follow to make these cookies. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.
1. Melt the butter and chocolate. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt together the butter and chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Mix together until smooth, then immediately mix in the cocoa powder and red food dye and set aside.
2. Whip up the egg and sugar. This step is super important in getting that classic and desirable brownie crinkle top. It seems excessive, but you’re going to need to beat the egg and sugar together vigorously for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Mix together. Add the melted butter mixture to the whipped egg and mix until combined.
4. Add in the dry ingredients. Add in your flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients just until no flour streaks remain.
5. Bake. Use a small cookie scoop (1.5 tbsp.) to dish out the cookies evenly spaced apart on a lined baking tray, then bake for 10 minutes.
6. Make the frosting. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, salt, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar in two additions until smooth.
7. Frost the cookies. Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, and frost half of the cookies.
8. Serve and enjoy! Sandwich each of the cookies, then serve and enjoy!
Small batch red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches Q & A
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?
- Definitely! Once the dough has been made, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for no more than 2 days before baking. When you’re ready to bake, you will most likely need to let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, just until it’s scoopable. Then, it’s ready to be baked as normal!
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 making and serving!
Why do you measure in grams?
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, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. 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.
Tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
Did you make these small batch red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches?
If you made these small batch red velvet brownie cookie sandwiches I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Red Velvet Brownie Cookie Sandwiches
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownie Cookies
- 90 g semi sweet chocolate chips (½ c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
- 12 g natural unsweetened cocoa powder (2 tbsp.)
- 1 ½ tsp. gel red food dye
- 90 g light brown sugar (⅓ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 egg
- 60 g all purpose flour (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 100 g cream cheese room temperature (½ c.)
- 42 g unsalted butter room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 90 g powdered sugar (¾ 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.
- Next, beat together the egg and sugar. It seems excessive, but you’re going to need to beat the egg and sugar together vigorously for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy so you can get a nice crackled top!
- Add the melted butter mixture into the whipped egg and sugar, 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.
- 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, you can 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 brownies 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 half of the cookies.
- Sandwich the cookies together, then serve and enjoy!
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