Description
These Ultimate Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies combine the classic rich cocoa flavor with a vibrant red color and a variety of chopped chocolates for a decadent treat. The cookies have a soft, gooey texture achieved by browning butter, incorporating both brown and white sugars, and chilling the dough before baking. Flaky sea salt on top adds a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter (140g)
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar, packed (100g)
- ⅓ cup white sugar (65g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- ½ tsp vinegar
- ½ tbsp gel red food color
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (160g)
- 2 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder (12g)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Add-ins
- 8 oz chopped chocolate (white, milk, and dark mix: 3 oz white, 2.5 oz dark, 2.5 oz milk)
- Optional: flakey sea salt to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Browning the Butter: Place the unsalted butter in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously for a few minutes until the butter begins to brown and releases a caramel-y nutty aroma.
- Adding Sugars: Lower the heat to its lowest setting and add both the brown and white sugars. Whisk gently for 1 minute until sugars begin to dissolve; avoid caramelizing or melting the sugars fully. The mixture may look grainy.
- Cooling the Mixture: Remove the pan from heat and let the butter-sugar mixture cool for 5 minutes until warm but no longer hot.
- Mixing Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla bean paste, vinegar, and red food coloring to the cooled mixture. Whisk quickly for about 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Preparing Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, Dutch processed cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Mix them evenly.
- Combining Wet and Dry: Ensure the wet mixture is not hot, then gently fold the dry ingredients into it using a rubber spatula just until combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain cookie texture.
- Adding Chocolate Chunks: Fold in the chopped mixed chocolates until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Forming Cookie Balls: Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough into 10 balls. If the dough is too runny, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before scooping. Shape balls gently without applying pressure.
- Chilling the Dough: Place the cookie balls on a plate or baking sheet, optionally top with extra chocolate chunks, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, for best results.
- Preheating the Oven: Preheat your conventional oven to 375°F. Prepare a large, light-colored baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Baking: Transfer the chilled cookie balls to the prepared sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes, but consider baking one test cookie first to achieve your preferred softness and gooeyness.
- Finishing Touch and Cooling: Remove cookies from the oven, sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired, and let them cool on the baking sheet at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Serving: Serve the cookies warm to enjoy their ultimate soft, gooey texture.
Notes
- Cookies are best enjoyed freshly baked for the best texture, but you can microwave them for 10-15 seconds to warm if not fresh.
- You can freeze the cookie dough balls in an airtight container and bake from frozen when needed; increase baking time by 2-3 minutes to compensate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
