Soft and plush red velvet cookies filled with a classic cream cheese frosting ~ this easy holiday cookie recipe starts with a cake mix!
festive red velvet cake mix cookies
These beautiful red velvet cookies are all dressed up for the holidays! They’re ultra soft and cushiony (think mini whoopie pie) and the cream cheese frosting is sweet and tangy. A cake mix provides a brilliant shortcut for the cookies, while the frosting is made from scratch (but still easy.) The combo is unbeatable. It’s the kind of cookie you just long to sink your teeth into!
Table of contents
what’s red velvet cake?
Red velvet cake is an American invention from the beginning of the 20th century. Red velvet recipes combine cocoa powder and buttermilk, which naturally results in a reddish hue in the cake and gives it a subtle chocolate flavor with a hint of tang. The addition of lots of red food coloring amps up that stunning color. And, of course, red velvet cake always comes with cream cheese frosting ~ so I’ve included it as the filling for these sandwich cookies.
what you’ll need for easy red velvet cookies
- red velvet cake mix
- I love and recommend Duncan Hines Signature Red Velvet. I haven’t tried these cookies with another brand of cake mix.
- eggs
- mild vegetable oil or melted butter
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar + granulated sugar
- milk
- vanilla
why we love these red velvet cookies
The show-stopping sparkly red color makes these sandwich cookies such fun for the holidays, or Valentine’s Day.
Using a cake mix streamlines the recipe. And that famously tender boxed cake mix texture is wonderful in cookie form!
I love to combine a boxed cake mix project with a from-scratch element like the cream cheese filling. And even though it’s from scratch, there are only 3 ingredients, so it’s quick and easy. Combining a convenience product like a cake mix with a homemade frosting is a winning strategy.
more recipes that start with a cake mix
- Pumpkin Pie Crunch Bars
- Honeybun Cake
- Boston Market Style Cornbread Recipe
- Cherry Almond Crisp Dump Cake
- Classic Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
- Brown Sugar Peach Cake
helpful tips for red velvet cookies
One tablespoon of dough is best amount for these cookies. Any bigger and they will become unwieldy because the cake mix makes a very soft texture.
Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on your baking sheets. This allows them to spread more easily.
Once you fill your cookies with the cream cheese frosting they should be refrigerated within 2 hours because cream cheese can spoil.
If you want to get a head start on this recipe you can make the cookies a day ahead and fill them when ready to serve.
The filled cookies can be frozen for longer storage.
You can omit the filling and make single cookies. Fold in white chocolate chips!
This type of filled sandwich cookie can be made with other cake mix flavors and fillings, get creative!
Red Velvet Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
cookies
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mild vegetable oil or melted and cooled butter
- 15 ounce red velvet cake mix, I use Duncan Hines
- granulated sugar for rolling
filling
- 4 ounces brick style cream cheese
- 1 cup (heaped) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and oil. Then fold in the cake mix until everything is well combined and there is no dry mix left.
- Cover with plastic and chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out the dough and roll into balls. You should get about 30 balls to make 15 sandwich cookies.
- Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on the lined baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Bake for about 7 minutes, or until the cookies have spread out and started to wrinkle on the edges. They will seem underdone, but will firm up as they cool.*
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. I like to do this in my food processor because it makes an instant lump free frosting and I can use cold cream cheese! If you want to use electric beaters you will want to soften your cream cheese first.
- Fill the cooled cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
more favorite holiday cookies
- Soft Molasses Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- White Chocolate Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
- Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
