There is nothing quite like sinking your teeth into warm, giant Crumbl copycat red velvet cookies. If you have ever craved that iconic bakery-style treat, this recipe delivers an intensely deep ruby red color and an unforgettable flavor profile right in your own kitchen.
We are talking about a massive, thick baked red velvet cookie that practically melts in your mouth. The secret lies in achieving that perfectly slightly cracked, soft-baked texture around the edges while keeping the center dense and fudgy.
To finish it off, each cookie is crowned with a thick, generous swirl of smooth, creamy white cream cheese frosting applied in a beautiful circular motion. A light dusting of tiny baked red velvet cookie crumbs completes the gourmet aesthetic, making these look like they came straight from a professional bakery.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Authentic Bakery Size: These are truly giant cookies, weighing in at a substantial portion that guarantees a thick, satisfying bite.
- Stunning Visual Appeal: The intensely deep ruby red color contrasts beautifully against the bright, creamy white cream cheese frosting swirl.
- Perfect Textural Balance: Enjoy a soft-baked texture in the center with slightly cracked, chewy edges that hold up the heavy frosting.
- Professional Finish: The crumbled red velvet cookie topping adds a gorgeous, high-end bakery touch with minimal extra effort.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Unsalted Butter: You will need 1 cup (226g) of cold, cubed butter for the dough. Cold butter prevents the cookies from spreading in the oven, ensuring a thick baked red velvet cookie.
Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: A mix of 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar and 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar creates the perfect texture. The brown sugar provides moisture and chewiness, while the white sugar gives those slightly cracked edges.
Eggs: Use 2 large eggs (100g) at room temperature. They bind the ingredients together and provide structural support for these giant cookies.
Red Gel Food Coloring: You need 1 tbsp (15ml) of high-quality red gel coloring. Gel is crucial here to achieve that intensely deep ruby red color without watering down the dough.
Vanilla Extract: Add 1 tbsp (15ml) of pure vanilla extract. This enhances the subtle cocoa notes and brings out the authentic red velvet flavor.
All-Purpose Flour & Cornstarch: Combine 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour with 1 tbsp (8g) cornstarch. The cornstarch guarantees a tender, soft-baked texture.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Use 3 tbsp (22g) of natural unsweetened cocoa powder. This provides the classic, subtle chocolate flavor distinct to red velvet without turning the dough brown.
Baking Soda & Salt: You will need 1 tsp (5g) baking soda and 1 tsp (6g) kosher salt. These invisible foundational ingredients ensure proper rising and balanced flavor.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Gather 8 oz (226g) softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup (56g) softened butter, 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, and 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract. This creates the thick, generous swirl of smooth, creamy white cream cheese frosting.
Equipment Needed
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer: Essential for creaming the cold butter and sugars into a smooth, homogenous base.
- White Baking Parchment Paper: Crucial for preventing sticking and allowing the cookies to bake evenly on the bottom.
- Large Cookie Scoop: A 5-ounce scoop ensures perfectly uniform, giant bakery-style cookies.
- Piping Bag with Round Tip: Necessary for applying the frosting in a smooth, circular motion.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Dough Base
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 cup (226g) cold cubed butter, 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes. You will hear the mixer quiet down as the mixture transforms into a light, fluffy paste.
2. Add the Wet Ingredients & Color
Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the 2 large eggs (100g), 1 tbsp (15ml) vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp (15ml) red gel food coloring. Beat on medium speed until completely combined. The mixture should display an intensely deep ruby red color at this stage.
3. Incorporate the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the 3 cups (360g) flour, 3 tbsp (22g) cocoa powder, 1 tbsp (8g) cornstarch, 1 tsp (5g) baking soda, and 1 tsp (6g) salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears; do not overmix, or you will lose the soft-baked texture.
4. Portion and Bake
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with white baking parchment paper. Scoop giant 5-ounce (140g) portions of dough and roll them into tall, rustic spheres. Pinch off one tiny 1-ounce (28g) piece of dough and place it on the pan—this will be baked and used later for the crumbled red velvet cookie topping.
5. Achieve the Perfect Bake
Bake the giant cookies for 13-15 minutes. Look closely for visual cues: the cookies should have a slightly cracked texture around the edges, while the centers will still look slightly underdone and puffy. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet to set the thick baked red velvet cookie structure.
6. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cookies cool, beat the 8 oz (226g) softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (56g) softened butter until completely smooth and lump-free. Gradually add the 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar and 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract. Beat on high until it becomes a creamy white cream cheese frosting that holds its shape.
7. Frost and Garnish
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag. Once the cookies are entirely cool, pipe a thick, generous swirl of smooth frosting, moving from the inside out in a circular motion. Take the small, extra baked cookie piece, crumble it up finely, and lightly sprinkle these tiny baked red velvet cookie crumbs over the top of the white frosting.
Expert Tips for Success
- Use Cold Butter: Starting with cold butter is the ultimate culinary secret to preventing giant cookies from spreading into puddles.
- Don’t Skimp on the Gel: Liquid food coloring adds too much moisture and bakes out dull. Gel color guarantees that intensely deep ruby red color.
- Underbake Slightly: To achieve that coveted soft-baked texture, pull the cookies out when the centers still look slightly glossy. They will continue cooking on the hot pan.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: If your thick baked red velvet cookie retains any heat, the heavy cream cheese frosting will melt and slide right off the edges.
Storage & Reheating/Freezing
Because these cookies feature a dairy-based cream cheese frosting, they must be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will remain fresh and delicious for up to 5 days.
If you wish to freeze them, it is best to freeze the unfrosted thick baked red velvet cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, then whip up a fresh batch of frosting when you are ready to serve.
What to Serve With This
While you are baking up a storm in the kitchen, consider creating a full, decadent dessert spread for your friends and family! Pair these massive treats with our adorable valentine-s-day-sugar-cookies or some classic red-velvet-cake-cookies for a gorgeous, color-coordinated dessert table.
If you prefer to offer some bite-sized sweets alongside these giant cookies, our rich chocolate-raspberry-truffles and creamy strawberry-cheesecake-truffles are absolutely incredible companions.
Don’t forget to check out our red-velvet-crinkle-cookies if you still have leftover cocoa powder and red food coloring to use up. Alternatively, try baking up the wonderfully dense irish-cream-brownie-cookies to provide a fantastic, contrasting chocolate flavor profile that everyone will love!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is highly recommended to use gel food coloring. Liquid food coloring contains too much water, which can alter the consistency of the dough and will not provide the intensely deep ruby red color required for a bakery-style finish.
Because we start with cold, cubed butter in this recipe, you do not strictly need to chill the dough. However, if your kitchen is very warm or your dough feels too soft after mixing, chilling it for 30 minutes will guarantee thicker cookies.
Make sure your cream cheese and butter are completely softened to room temperature to avoid lumps. Use a piping bag with a large round tip, and pipe in a slow, continuous circular motion starting from the center of the cookie and moving outward.
Because the thick, generous swirl of frosting contains cream cheese, these cookies must be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before eating for the best texture.
Cookies usually spread if the butter was too warm. This recipe relies on cold, cubed butter to maintain a thick baked red velvet cookie structure. Additionally, ensure you are measuring your flour correctly by spooning and leveling it.
Closing & Subscribe
Now that you know the secrets to making perfect Crumbl copycat red velvet cookies, it’s time to preheat that oven! The combination of the thick baked red velvet cookie and that creamy white cream cheese frosting swirl is guaranteed to impress.
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Recipe Schema
Crumbl Copycat Red Velvet Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 cup (226g) cold cubed butter, 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the 2 large eggs (100g), 1 tbsp (15ml) vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp (15ml) red gel food coloring. Beat on medium speed until completely combined and deep ruby red.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 3 cups (360g) flour, 3 tbsp (22g) cocoa powder, 1 tbsp (8g) cornstarch, 1 tsp (5g) baking soda, and 1 tsp (6g) salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with white baking parchment paper. Scoop giant 5-ounce (140g) portions of dough. Pinch off one tiny 1-ounce (28g) piece of dough to bake separately for crumbs.
- Bake the giant cookies for 13-15 minutes until the edges are slightly cracked. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- While cookies cool, beat the 8 oz (226g) softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (56g) softened butter until completely smooth. Gradually add the 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar and 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract. Beat on high until creamy.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag. Pipe a generous swirl of smooth frosting in a circular motion on each cooled cookie. Crumble the extra baked cookie piece and sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the white frosting.
Notes
Do not overbake; pull the cookies out while the center is still slightly soft so they continue baking on the hot pan.
Store frosted cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
