Who doesn’t love Red Velvet Cookies? There are two occasions when i bake them every year. During Chrismas and during Mother’s day. There is something so elegant about the colour and the taste of a red velvet dessert. It has an underlying taste of chocolate but not very chocolate-y.
Because these were meant for Mother’s day I baked them in my favourite molds for the beautiful heart shape. Link here. The centres have been filled with a delicious cream cheese icing that is quick to make.
I hope you enjoy a beautiful Mother’s day with your family. If your Mum is far away like mine, make sure you tell her how much you miss her and definitely bake something for her when you see her, What I would do to share my treats with my Mum right now! Someday soon.
Looking for more heart shaped treats, try these Blueberry Friands/Financiaers.
Red Velvet Cookies
Makes 12 heart shaped cookies
1 cup (125 g )plain flour
2 tbsp (11 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (114 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100 g) castor/granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
red gel food paste
gold leaf, to decorate
icing sugar, to dus (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing
1 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp icing/confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp milk
Method : Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Lightly grease a sillione mold and set aside.
In a medium bowl place the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda tpgether and mix. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2 mins). Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Fold in the flour until just combined. Mix in the food colour until the desired shade is achieved. If the dough appears too sticky to work with, place in the fridge for 15-20 mins. Otherwise, working quickly, scoop out 1 tbsp of dough and place in the hole of each mold. using the bag of a spoon or with your fingers, press the dough lightly to take the shape of the mold. You don’t have to be perfect as the dough will rise and spread slightly to fit the molds.
Bake for 15-20 miuntes or cookies are lightly browned and feel firm to touch. Remove from oven, allow to cool in mold for 2 minutes, then gently turn the mold tray over for the cookies to slide out. Allow to cool completely before icing.
To make the cream cheese icing, place all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well to combine.
To assemble, pipe or fill using a small spoon, the cream cheese icing in the centre of the cookie. Allow to set until firm, about 30 mins. Decorate with gold leaf. Dust with icing sugar if desired.
