Recipe: Valentine Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

I’ve gotten into that nasty baking rut again and have found myself only trying out a new recipe every two weeks or so – is there a way to buy more time in a day? With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I decided it was the perfect excuse to bake some Valentine themed cookies. Instead of making my favorite sugar cookie recipe (which I tend to make for Valentine’s Day and Easter), I decided to switch things up and make Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies. Follow the “Read More” jump for a list of ingredients and directions.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring

FOR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Red food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Then beat in the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Once combined, add the dry ingredients to wet. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Place dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes (this step is optional, it will just make the dough easier to work with)
Onto a parchment lined sheet tray, drop batter using a Tablespoon. (Note: the cookies will spread so space them apart)
Bake 8-10 minutes, until baked through. Cookies should be cake-like and light. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla, and one drop of red food coloring together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Spread the cream cheese frosting between 2 cooled cookies and roll the edges in sprinkles, if desired.

This recipe will make about 12-15 sandwiches.

*Recipe adapted from here.