Red Velvet Cookies

I was a little reluctant to lead off with what I consider to be the greatest cookie recipe I have ever baked.  Would I set the initial bar too high, only to disappoint in the future?  Would anyone see it?  And seriously, this blog is still so new and unpolished, it would be like moving  new furniture into a house where the drywall isn't even hung yet.

Then, I figured, what the hell.  Why not start strong?  Why not put it out there, even if only a few see it at first; it's not like this stuff has an expiration date.  And, who care what the blog looks like if the cookies are good.

And, let me assure you, these cookies are freakin' good.  I had Red Velvet Cookies at some random bakery  in Atlanta in August of last year and, while I liked them, I was convinced I could do better.  I searched high and low for a recipe, thinking, "surely I am not the only one who thinks Red Velvet Cookies are a great idea."  I may not be the only one, but, apparently, I am one of a few.  I found a few recipes that were close, so I tested, combined, tweaked a little, and came up with this one, which is truly outstanding:

Red Velvet Cookies 

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon red food coloring

3/4 cup Greek-style plain yogurt (may substitute sour cream)

2 cups all-purpose flour, packed

6 ounces good-quality, semisweet chocolate bar, chopped fairly small 

 Frosting:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) light cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar, divided use 

First, make the frosting: combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt and mix at medium speed until smooth.  Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, mix at low speed until smooth.  Stir in the last 3/4 cup of the sugar, again mixing at low speed until smooth.  Set aside at room temperature, or refrigerate if you are going to make the cookies later. 

For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375.  Melt the baking chocolate and let cool.  Combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, mix at medium speed until smooth. 

Add the baking soda and salt, and resume mixing on medium until incorporated.  Add the egg and mix at medium speed until smooth.  Add the red food coloring and mix until well distributed. 

Scrape the bowl, then add the melted chocolate and mix for about a minute on medium speed.  Scrape the bowl again.  Add half the flour and mix on low.  When the flour is incorporated, mix in the yogurt (or sour cream) 

Scrape the bowl again and add the remaining flour at low speed until fully incorporated.  Mix in the chopped chocolate on low speed until just distributed throughout the dough. 

Drop a tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-sized sheet.  Use your thumb to make a shallow indentation in each cookie, but avoid flattening the dough ball.  Fill each indentation with about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of the frosting—it should be fairly thin if it’s at room temperature. 

Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake!  Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for one minute, then remove from the sheet and let cool completely.

Any leftover dough or frosting freezes well for next time.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

A few tips: these cookies come out very soft & cakey... my friend, Heidi, tried the recipe and reported that hers fell apart somewhat easily.  They may need an extra 1/4 cup of flour, I'll retest and post the results.  I am, however, always reluctant to add flour to cookie recipes because, let's be frank, I like the taste of butter & sugar better.

As for the frosting - the thumbprint method works great, and the frosting crisps up slightly on the top while staying soft beneath.  This makes the cookies much easier to store in, say, a cookie jar, without getting smeary.  You can, however, bake the cookies and then frost them afterward Heidi used a pastry bag to pipe on the frosting and they turned out almost too nice to eat.

Give the cookies a try and post your comments/pictures; I am anxious to hear how they turn out!  Oh, I'll post some pictures soon, too...