Easy and delicious red velvet cookies paired with our delicious Nutella cream cheese frosting for the best little cookie sandwich you've ever had!
Red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting are a classic flavor combination, but we couldn't stop there! Naturally we had to level up this famous pairing and turn the red velvet cake into a cookie, and add a heaping scoop of Nutella to our cream cheese frosting.
But first, a little history…
One thing I recently found out was that Red Velvet and Nutella both were popularized under the same circumstances-food rations during World War II.
The History of Nutella
Nutella was created by a man named Pietro Ferrero (you may know the name from the favorite candy-Ferrero Rocher). He created it in Italy in the 1940s as a cheaper alternative to chocolate. Hazelnuts were abundant in the region, so he combined them with a little cocoa and the blissful Nutella was born! Nutella actually means "sweet nut"-the name itself took the English word "nut" and combined it with the Latin suffix for sweet-"ella."
Red Velvet: Where did it come from? And How does it get its coloring?
The origin of red velvet is a bit more controversial. The Adams Extract Company claims that it is responsible for the original red velvet cake in the 1920s, while the Waldorf Astoria Hotel also likes to claim this title. It's hard to say who did it first or if either actually did!
Velvet cakes were popular long before the Adams Extract Company and the Waldorf Astoria starting fighting over red velvet's claim to fame. When red velvet was originally made, its color came from the reaction of naturally acidic cocoa, and buttermilk. During World War II when baking essentials were scarce, beet juice was used in cakes to enhance the color and give the cake extra moisture. This was right when red velvet was coming into the spotlight.
Today, red velvet's famous red hue is due to added food coloring and Nutella is made because we love the flavors and not because of food shortages. These flavors are as popular as ever and thank goodness, because without it where would these delightful little cookies be?!
Cake Mix Cookies
Cake mix cookies are one of my favorite shortcut baking hacks! If you've never made cake mix cookies before, prepare to be amazed! All you need is a cake mix, oil (or butter or shortening will also work), and eggs!
The Basic Cake Mix Cookie Recipe:
- 15 ounce Cake mix (should be close or around 15 ounces, could be 16 depending on flavor or brand)
- ⅓ cup of oil
- 2 eggs
Mix them all together and you've got your basic dough! Now you can add in chocolate chips, or nuts, or sprinkles, whatever you want! Bake them at 350 degrees for 7-12 minutes depending on the size of your cookie.
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Now these red velvet cake mix cookies are just as easy! With these cookies we are making them small, just 1 tablespoon of dough (so these only need to bake for 7-8 minutes) and we are not mixing in any extras.
We're turning these little red velvet beauties into cookie sandwiches, or whoopie pies as some might call them. We're taking two little red velvet cookies and adding a dollop of nutella cream cheese frosting between them
Assembling your red velvet cookies & Nutella cream cheese frosting
Assembling these cookies could not be easier! Once your cookies are completely cool and your nutella cream cheese frosting is whipped up, you'll pipe a nice little blob of frosting on the bottom of a red velvet cookie and then add your cookie topper! Repeat until you've used all your cookies!
Add a chocolate drizzle
Adding a chocolate drizzle to your cookies is totally optional, but who doesn't love a little extra chocolate and it add such a nice finishing touch to these cookies!
For the drizzle you'll need ¼ cup of chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet) and two teaspoons of coconut oil or shortening. Chocolate chips are sometimes tricky to melt, they're designed to keep their shape in high heat, so it's easy to burn them or loose their shine when microwaving them. This is why we add coconut oil or shortening! These little bit fat will help the chocolate chips melt smoothly, add a little shine, but also set up when the chocolate cools!
Microwave you coconut oil or shortening with your chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 15 second increments, stirring in between each time. We use short increments in the microwave to make sure it doesn't burn! Once your chocolate is silky smooth, take a spoon and just drizzle the chocolate over top of your cookie sandwiches. Let the chocolate cool and you're done!
Enjoy!
Alyssa
If you like this recipe, you may also like some of our other cookie favorites:
- Better-than-Swig Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Caramel Apple Crumble Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Blueberry Coconut Pecan Cookies
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Red Velvet Cookies with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
delicious Nutella cream cheese frosting for the best little cookie sandwich you’ve ever had! Made with a cake mix for super easy baking!
Ingredients
For Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
- 3.5 ounces 7 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ unsweetened cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
For Cookies:
- 1-15 ounce Red Velvet Cake mix
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup of oil
For Drizzle:
- ¼ cup chocolate chips I used semisweet
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or shortening
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat together cake mix, eggs, and oil until smooth.
- Take 1 tablespoon of dough, roll between hands to create a perfect sphere. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. While cookies are baking and cooling make frosting.
Frosting:
- Cream together cream cheese and butter for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in Nutella, salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Alternate adding in cocoa powder and powdered sugar, beating in between. Add in milk. Beat together until smooth.
Assembly:
- Once cookies are cool, place frosting in a piping bag (or you can use a gallon size bag and cut the tip off). Pipe frosting onto the bottom side of one cookie and place another cookies on top—creating a sandwich. Repeat until all cookies are used.
- In a microwave safe bowl place chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 15-second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate on top of the cookie sandwiches. Chill until chocolate is set up.
Nutrition
Originally published February 5, 2019
Ronak Mehta says
Wow. It looks delicious. I love pineapple cakes. So, I will try to make it. Your recipe will help me. Thanks for sharing.