William came home from his office Valentine’s party carrying a cookie he’d wrapped carefully in a napkin. “You have to try this,” he said, unwrapping the most gorgeous red cookie topped with a chocolate kiss. I took one bite of that red velvet blossom cookies and understood immediately why he’d saved one for me instead of eating it himself. Soft, tender red velvet cookie with a hint of cocoa, rolled in sparkly red sugar, topped with a chocolate kiss – it was everything I love about red velvet cake in cookie form. “Who made these?” I asked. When he said they were from a local bakery charging $3 per cookie, I immediately decided we were making them ourselves.
Why You’ll Love These Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
These Red Velvet Blossom Cookies solve that eternal holiday problem of wanting cookies that look impressive and festive without requiring pastry school skills or complicated decorating. Most beautiful cookies need royal icing, piping skills, or elaborate techniques that take hours. These soft Red Velvet Blossom Cookies are literally just rolling dough in sugar and pressing a chocolate kiss on top – William can make these after a long workday without stress, and they always look professionally beautiful. The sparkly red sugar coating catches light and makes them look fancy, but the technique is so simple that his 8-year-old nephew successfully made them.
Here’s what makes this red velvet cookie recipe absolutely genius – they taste exactly like red velvet cake but in portable, giftable, less-messy cookie form. If you love red velvet cake (and William is obsessed with it), you get all those flavors – subtle cocoa, slight tang from buttermilk and vinegar, cream cheese notes from the dough – but you can eat it with your hands, package it in cute bags, and gift it without needing plates and forks. The chocolate kiss on top mimics the chocolate-on-red-velvet combination that makes red velvet cake so iconic. It’s essentially red velvet cake reimagined for maximum convenience and giftability.
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Ingredients You Need for Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
For the Cookie Dough:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons red liquid gel food coloring
For Rolling and Topping:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- OR 1 cup red sparkling sugar
- 48 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped
Optional Add-ins:
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Step by Step
Make Your Cookie Dough:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and 1½ cups sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add egg and yolk one at a time, beating until smooth. Mix in vanilla, white vinegar, and red food coloring until evenly colored.
Mix and Chill Dough:
On low speed, gradually add dry ingredients to the wet until just combined stop as soon as the flour disappears to avoid tough cookies. The dough should be thick, slightly sticky, and deep red. If too soft, refrigerate 30-60 minutes to firm up before rolling; otherwise, proceed. Chilling helps create thicker, softer cookies.
Shape and Sugar Coat:
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1½ cups sugar until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg, yolk, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring. Gradually add the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined, chilling the dough if it’s too soft. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough, roll into 1-inch balls, coat in sugar, and place about 2 inches apart on the sheets. Bake until set, allowing the cookies to crackle while staying thick and soft.
Bake and Add Kisses:
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until edges are set and tops look dry but centers are slightly soft. Don’t overbake, as they will continue to cook from carryover heat. Immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each hot cookie, pressing gently until flush but not cracked. Cookies will be puffy at first but will flatten slightly as they cool. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
Cool and Serve:
As the cookies cool, the kisses firm up and the cookies set to a tender, chewy texture. The sugar coating remains sparkly and slightly crunchy, while the red velvet cookie is soft with subtle cocoa and tangy notes, complemented by the rich chocolate of the Kiss. Once fully cooled, they can be stacked for storage or gifting. Each cookie should have a deep red to burgundy color, a crackled sugar coating, and a chocolate kiss pressed in the center-delicious enough that extras are always necessary!
Smart Swaps for Your Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Color Options:
- Pink food coloring → Red (for Valentine’s Day pink version)
- No food coloring → Red (for cocoa-only cookies)
- Different gel colors → Red (make rainbow blossoms)
Kiss Alternatives:
- Hugs (chocolate and white swirl) → Regular kisses
- Peanut butter cups → Kisses (different center)
- Rolos → Kisses (caramel center)
- White chocolate kisses → Milk chocolate
Flour Swaps:
- Gluten-free 1:1 blend → Regular flour (makes them gluten-free)
- Cake flour → All-purpose (more tender, delicate)
Sugar Coating:
- Leave plain → Rolled in sugar (simpler look)
- Plain white sugar → Colored sugar (still pretty, less sparkly)
- Cinnamon sugar → Plain (different flavor)
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Variations
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Pioneer Woman Style:
- Add cream cheese to dough
- Use extra vanilla
- Roll in plain white sugar
- Classic, simple presentation
Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Cookies:
- Roll in pink and red sugar
- Use pink Hershey’s Hugs
- Add pink sprinkles
- Heart-shaped when possible
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies with Hershey Kiss:
- Roll in powdered sugar instead of granulated
- Creates crinkle appearance
- Add kiss after baking
- More dramatic visual
Red Velvet Beet Cookies (Natural Color):
- Use beet puree for color (¼ cup)
- Skip food coloring
- Naturally colored and flavored
- Healthier option
Equipment For Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer (stand or hand)
- Cookie scoop (1 tablespoon size)
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone mats
Storing Your Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Room Temperature Storage (5-7 days):
- Store in airtight container
- Layer with parchment between
- Keep at room temp for soft texture
- Kisses stay firm
Refrigerator Storage (2 weeks):
- Airtight container in fridge
- Brings to room temp before serving
- Stays fresh longer
- Kisses may “bloom” (white coating) but still safe
Freezer Storage (3 months):
- Freeze baked cookies in layers
- OR freeze unbaked dough balls
- Thaw baked cookies at room temp
- Bake frozen dough balls (add 1-2 minutes)
Gift Packaging:
- Homemade gifts people love
- Use clear cellophane bags
- Tie with red ribbon
- Include storage instructions
Top Tip
- The absolute game-changer for perfect red velvet blossom cookies is pressing the Hershey’s Kisses into the cookies at exactly the right moment – literally within 10 seconds of removing the baking sheet from the oven while the cookies are still piping hot. This timing is non-negotiable and makes the difference between kisses that stay firmly attached versus kisses that fall off when you pick up the cookie.
- William used to let his Red Velvet Blossom Cookies cool for “just a minute” thinking it would make them easier to handle, but what actually happened was the cookies firmed up too much and the kisses just sat on top without adhering. When you press a kiss into a very hot cookie, the heat softens the bottom of the chocolate just slightly, creating actual adhesion as both the cookie and chocolate cool and firm up together.
- Here’s the practical technique that transformed William’s Red Velvet Blossom Cookies: the moment he pulls a baking sheet from the oven, he has his unwrapped kisses lined up and ready to go in a small bowl right next to the stove. He doesn’t pause to check his phone or grab a drink – he immediately starts pressing kisses, working quickly but firmly. He presses each kiss straight down into the center of each cookie until the bottom of the kiss is flush with the cookie surface, holding it for 1-2 seconds to make sure it seats properly.
Why This Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Recipe Works (2 Paragraphs):
After making these festive Red Velvet Blossom Cookies countless times for holidays and parties, here’s what makes them consistently perfect. Most Red Velvet Blossom Cookies are either too cakey (like eating cake without frosting – dry and disappointing) or too flat (spreading into thin, crispy discs instead of soft, tender cookies). This recipe works because you use the right ratio of butter to flour, add an egg yolk for richness and tenderness, and include just the right amount of leavening that creates cookies that spread just enough to be tender but hold their shape beautifully.
The key to that dramatic red color is using liquid gel food coloring instead of regular food coloring – you need concentrated color to get that vibrant red velvet hue without adding so much liquid that you throw off the dough consistency. Regular liquid food coloring is mostly water with a little dye, so you’d need massive amounts that would make your dough too wet and cause spreading. Liquid gel food coloring is concentrated, so just 1-2 teaspoons creates gorgeous red without affecting texture.
FAQ
How to store red velvet blossoms?
Store red velvet blossom cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Layer cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper to prevent the chocolate kisses from sticking together or smudging. Room temperature storage keeps them soft and chewy (William’s preference), while refrigeration extends shelf life but makes them slightly firmer. For gifting, package them in cellophane bags or tins within 1-2 days of baking for peak freshness.
What can use instead of the glittery red sugar?
You can use several alternatives to red sparkling sugar: plain granulated white sugar (still pretty with crackled appearance), red sanding sugar (coarser texture, still colorful), cinnamon sugar (adds flavor and color), or skip the sugar coating entirely for a matte appearance. You can also use different colored sugars – pink for Valentine’s Day, white for Christmas, green for holidays, or rainbow for fun. William has even used crushed candy canes mixed with white sugar for peppermint version. The sugar coating isn’t structurally necessary – it’s purely for appearance and texture.
How do these cookies really taste like?
These cookies taste exactly like red velvet cake in cookie form – subtle chocolate flavor (not as intense as brownies), slight tang from buttermilk and vinegar, sweet and tender with cream cheese notes, and rich from butter. The chocolate kiss on top adds pure milk chocolate contrast that mimics cream cheese frosting on red velvet cake. William describes them as “if red velvet cake and a soft sugar cookie had a baby.” The texture is soft and slightly chewy, not crispy or crunchy.
Why does red velvet have to be red?
Red velvet doesn’t technically have to be red – the red color is traditional but not functionally necessary for flavor. Originally, red velvet cakes were slightly reddish from a chemical reaction between cocoa powder (which contained anthocyanins), buttermilk, and vinegar. Modern cocoa is processed differently and doesn’t create that red color naturally, so bakers add red food coloring to maintain the traditional appearance. The red color is now part of red velvet’s identity and visual appeal – William says “it wouldn’t be red velvet without being red, it would just be chocolate cake.
The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Win!
Now you have everything you need to create these incredible red velvet blossom cookies – from proper dough chilling to Auntie Carol’s coffee trick. These festive red velvet cookies prove that bakery-quality cookies are achievable at home with simple ingredients and techniques. Sometimes the best holiday traditions involve making things yourself instead of buying them.
Want more holiday cookie recipes? Try our The Best Snickerdoodle Cake Recipe that use similar kiss-pressing technique. Craving more red velvet treats? Our Easy Blueberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls Recipe the same flavors in different form. Need another gifting cookie? Our Best Peanut Butter Brownie Swirl Cookies Recipe are equally beautiful and giftable!
We love seeing your red velvet blossom cookies creations! Tell us what sugar you rolled them in, whether you tried Auntie Carol’s coffee trick, and if these became your new holiday tradition. We get so excited seeing your beautiful sparkly red cookies!
Rate this Red Velvet Blossom Cookies and tell us if you’ll ever buy bakery cookies again – we love hearing about holiday baking victories!
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Soft, tender Red Velvet Blossom Cookies in sparkly sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss. They taste exactly like red velvet cake in cookie form festive, easy, and always bakery-beautiful without complicated decorating
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
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Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until fully blended.
-
Beat butter and sugar, then add egg, yolk, vanilla, vinegar, and coloring until smooth.
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Gradually add dry mixture to the wet mixture and chill the dough until firm enough to shape.
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Roll dough into balls, coat in sugar, and arrange them evenly on baking sheets.
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Bake the cookies, then immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into each one and let them cool.
Nutrition
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
