Have you gotten your holiday baking on yet?! I love the holiday season when the aroma of Snickerdoodle Bars, Caramel Popcorn, Gingerbread Brownies, and Pecan Cheesecake fill the air – and my belly. And now I am so excited to bring you TWO new holiday baking treats – because what’s better than one classic holiday flavor? Two of course! These soft and chewy Peppermint Red Velvet Brownies and Peppermint Eggnog Cookies are sure to be the hit of the season and they use the same ingredients for double the flavor and festive fun!
What is Red Velvet?
When it comes to the holidays, red velvet is the perfect choice because it is festively red and the perfect backdrop for holiday garnishes such as crushed candy canes or sprinkles. If you have ever wondered where “red velvet” comes from, it originated way before food coloring. Before food coloring, red velvet cakes were more scarlet. In fact, the color was created solely by a chemical reaction between the vinegar, cocoa and buttermilk (like the brownies below!). Once the formulation of cocoa powder changed, this red effect no longer occurred, and food coloring was added to once again create the red hue. Today, red velvet refers to vanilla and cocoa flavored baked goods that are dyed red. They are soft, chewy, chocolaty deliciousness that you may just want to bake all year round! The smooth texture of the fine crumb cake is why we describe it as “velvet.” It is one of my favorite treats for this reason!
Peppermint Red Velvet Cookies
These Peppermint Red Velvet Cookies are the quintessential holiday cookie. They not only are a deep cheerful red and crazy soft, they are infused with McCormick Peppermint and McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, so they taste like Christmas through and through. If you’ve never tried McCormick Pure Vanilla and McCormick Peppermint Extract – you can truly taste the difference! I use their vanilla extract in every single baked good and their peppermint extract will make everything merry and bright, including these Peppermint Red Velvet Cookies. These melt-in-your-mouth Red Velvet Cookies don’t require any chilling of the dough and they bake up thick and chewy, soft, and irresistible (a win for any holiday baker!). To top it all off, they are smothered in luscious Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting that is spiked with McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, McCormick Ground Cinnamon and McCormick Ground Nutmeg for a round subtle holiday flavor through and through. I love this frosting SO much I’ve already used in my Eggnog Cake and Eggnog Cookies. And pretty soon, I’m sure I’ll just be eating it by itself. These Red Velvet Cookies are beautiful in their simplicity of contrasting white and red or you can dress them up with crushed candy canes, sprinkles candy or festive designs. The possibilities are endless – and so is the deliciousness!
HOW TO FREEZE RED VELVET COOKIE DOUGH:
I always get questions about whether or not you can freeze cookie dough or cookies and the answer is yes and yes! You can freeze the Red Velvet Cookie Dough OR you can freeze the Red Velvet Cookies with the frosting, here’s how:
Drop balls per instructions onto parchment/nonstick lined baking sheet without touching – you should be able to fit the whole batch onto one cookie sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze the balls until outsides are hard (about 1-2 hours). Transfer to a freezer size plastic bag and freeze. Cookie dough should freeze well for up to 3 months. To BAKE: Place frozen cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet and bake according to instructions, adding a couple extra minutes to cook time
HOW TO FREEZE BAKED RED VELVET COOKIES WITH FROSTING:
Fit as many baked Red Velvet Cookies on a parchment/nonstick mat lined baking sheet without touching. Place the baking sheet(s) in the freezer and freeze until solid (about 1 hour). You can now freeze individual cookies by placing them each in sandwich bags, OR to freeze a batch of cookies: Top frozen cookies on baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper and layer with another layer of frozen cookies (that you have frozen on a separate sheet). Continue to layer and stack as needed. Wrap entire baking sheet securely in layers of plastic wrap. To THAW TRAY: Take cookie tray out of refrigerator and unwrap so that the condensation doesn’t form and make them soggy. Let sit at room temperature for several hours. TO THAW INDIVIDUAL COOKIE: Take cookie out of the sandwich bag and let sit at room temperature, warm in the microwave at 10 second intervals or warm it in the oven for a few minutes.
Peppermint Red Velvet Brownies
When your Red Velvet Cookies are baking in the oven, it’s time to whip up some Peppermint Red Velvet Brownies because you already have ALL the ingredients out and it’s as simple as mixing them together, pouring into ONE pan and baking! These Red Velvet Brownies are rich, soft, chewy and chocolaty with a peppermint flair that’s complimented by the sweet and tangy Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting. The Red Velvet Brownies are as easy as whisking your dry ingredients together and whisking your butter, sugar, cocoa powder, McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, McCormick Peppermint Extract, red food coloring and eggs together, and then folding them together. The Red Velvet Brownies also get smothered in the same outrageously delicious Eggnog Frosting, so you can just double the frosting recipe when you’re frosting the Red Velvet Cookies for no extra work! The delectable Eggnog Frosting adds yet another layer of can’t-stop-eating-deliciousness to these already fabulous brownies. As far as making these Peppermint Red Velvet Brownies even more festive, you can either garnish with crushed candy canes, frost your individual brownie squares like presents, cut into triangles and frost like Christmas trees, or use cookie cutters and cut them into festive shapes. No matter how you cut them, these Red Velvet Brownies and Red Velvet Cookies will deliver twice the holiday flavor and twice the holiday cheer, and are guaranteed to be a new family, neighbor, and friend favorite!
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Serves: 24 Cookies Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes/batch
INGREDIENTS Cookies
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 tablespoon red food coloring 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon McCormick Peppermint Extract ¼ cup sour cream
Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese softened to room temperature 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons eggnog plus more as needed 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon McCormick Ground Nutmeg
INSTRUCTIONS You might also like these holiday Recipes: Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Poke Turtle Brownies German Chocolate Cheesecake Nutella Cookies Turtle Cookies
