Crumbl Copycat Red Velvet Cookies from The Palatable Life

Crumbl Copycat Red Velvet Cookies - made dough May 20, 2023 from The Palatable Life

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4-5 drops red coloring

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add eggs, vanilla and red food coloring, mixing until just combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add in several additions to butter mixture, mixing on low speed after each addition until just combined. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
4. Portion into 1/2 cup dough balls and flatten slightly to thick discs. Chill for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Evenly space dough discs on baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Let rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
6. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Combine cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes until well combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add frosting to a piping bag. Pipe frosting onto each cooled cookie.

These aren't an exact Crumbl copycat since I didn't make the frosting they're supposed to be topped with. As usual, I was making these for military care packages and cream cheese frosting definitely wouldn't survive the trip, given the longer mailing times overseas not to mention the triple digit heat many of the desert countries are already experiencing.

Instead, I pressed white chocolate chunks gently into the tops as soon as the cookies came out of the oven. The white chocolate topping will probably melt when they reach their destination but at least they won't be as messy as the frosting and they'll last longer without spoiling.

I have to say these cookies were amazing. Not sure if they're exactly like Crumbl's but they were delicious and the texture was perfect, just how I like it with a dense chewiness. I didn't use a lot of red food coloring so they're a bit darker and not as bright as a regular red velvet but that's okay by me. The taste and texture were what mattered. I might even like these better than the Crumbl original.