Red Velvet Cookies

Packages of Red Velvet Cookies. These sold quickly at a recent sale to benefit Hunger Ministries at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. A cute way to package them is to place the cookies in cupcake papers and slide them inside self-sealing cellophane bags. I used paper punches to make the homemade tags.

These Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies are sure to please all your sweeties this Valentine's Day and there's still plenty of time to make them.

The cookie is a twist on my favorite tried and true recipe for Chocolate Espresso Sandwich Cookies that's from Julie Richardson of Baker & Spice. I just swapped red food coloring for the espresso in the dough, cut heart shapes, and after baking filled them with cream cheese icing. They are easy to make and so delicious.  Here's the recipe:

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
(makes about 4 dozen 2-inch sandwiches)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups Dutch process Cocoa, sifted
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 oz red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes or until light, scraping down the bowl occasionally as needed.

Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, blending lightly between additions. Add the red food coloring, make sure to mix this in on low so that there's no splattering!

Add the cocoa on low speed until combined.

Blend the flour, and salt and add to the butter mixture until just combined.Wrap the dough and let it chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

After chilling, the dough might need to warm at room temperature for a bit so that it can be easily rolled.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured work area to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes, I like to use a 1.5-inch heart cutter and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for about 6 minutes or until the cookies are no longer shiny but still soft in the middle.

Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before filling them with the cream cheese filling.

Adding the cream cheese filling to the cookies.

Cream Cheese Filling

2/3 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese 

1/4 cup softened butter

1 teaspoons vanilla

Whip cream cheese and butter thoroughly. Add the vanilla then the powdered sugar, a little at a time and whip until smooth.