Red velvet chocolate thumbprint cookies make a perfect Valentine’s Day treat

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, red velvet is making its annual push everywhere you look. With its bright red color, red velvet really is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.

Thumbprints are my absolute favorite cookie. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a bright red thumbprint cookie with a fudgy chocolate center? Sprinkles make everything more fun too, so if you’re up for the inevitable mess that is working with nonpareils (seriously, how do they manage to get everywhere in the kitchen?), rolling the cookie dough in them before baking makes for a pretty — and of course, tasty — result.

Red velvet chocolate thumbprint cookies

Yields 36

Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 10 minutes | Inactive time: 20 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cookies

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 ounce red food coloring
• 1/4 cup rainbow nonpareil sprinkles (optional)

For the chocolate centers

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking sheets.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a handheld mixer. Add the eggs 1 at a time, and continue beating. Add the vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour gradually, and continue mixing. Add the food coloring last, and mix until well incorporated and the batter is the same shade of red throughout.
3. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. If using, place the sprinkles in a small bowl, roll the dough balls in the sprinkles, and then place on the baking sheet. Press your thumb into center of each cookie to make a small indent.
4. Bake for 9 – 10 minutes, remove from the oven, and repress the wells, as they’ve likely puffed up a bit during baking.
5. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. While the cookies are cooling, in a small bowl, heat the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir, then heat for another 15 seconds. Repeat if necessary until smooth.
7. Spoon chocolate into the well of each cookie. Place the cookies in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set.

More red velvet recipes

Boozy red velvet shake with homemade ice cream
Red velvet hot chocolate
No-bake red velvet cheesecake