Say 'Hello' to Your Perfect Valentine: Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking addict Sally McKenney Quinn is the author of the popular blog and cookbook Sally’s Baking Addiction as well as PEOPLE.com‘s newest blogger. Check back each month for her latest easy-to-follow recipes! Warning: Don’t read when hungry.

Attention, red velvet lovers! I’ve got a Valentine’s Day cookie recipe just for you. These soft-baked cookies are full of red velvet flavors: lots of butter, lots of vanilla and a hint of cocoa. I typically make these cookies with semi-sweet chocolate chips but this year I’m all about the white chocolate.

My secret for soft cookies? A higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar. Brown sugar is full of moisture while granulated sugar is on the dry side. This extra moisture helps keep your red velvet cookies soft for days and days. In fact, they are still soft on day 7 — if they can last that long!

Chilling the cookie dough is important. Not only will this extra step firm up the soft dough, it will help the cookie dough develop extra flavor. Plus, chilling cookie dough prevents cookies from spreading in the oven as they bake.

Make a batch of these festive cookies for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget to save a few for yourself. You’ll be thankful you did!

Sally’s Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 18 cookies

1 ½ cups + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tbsp. liquid red food coloring
1 cup white chocolate chips (plus a few extra for after baking)

1. Toss the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Once mixed, add the food coloring and beat until combined. Turn the mixer off and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed. Beat in more food coloring if you’d like the dough to be redder. On low speed, beat in the white chocolate chips. The dough will be sticky.

3. Cover the dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (and up to 4-5 days. Make sure you let the cookie dough sit out at room temperature for about 45 minutes before baking if chilling the cookie dough for more than 1 day.). Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.

4. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

5. Scoop 1.5 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place 9 balls onto each baking sheet. Bake each batch for 10-11 minutes. The cookies may have only spread slightly; simply press down on the warm cookies to slightly flatten and form crinkles. Stick a few white chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies – that’s optional and only for looks.

6. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Baked cookies may be frozen for up to 2 months. Cookie dough balls may be frozen up to 2 months. Bake for 1-2 extra minutes (do not thaw).

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