Red Velvet Thumbprints

These fun, festive, and easy-to-make Red Velvet Thumbprints are perfect cookies for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. The vibrant red color is perfect and they’re darn tasty, too!

This Thumbprint Cookie Recipe is easier than you think! Just roll out balls of dough, bake and then press a Hershey’s Kiss into the middle. Super simple!

Why You Must Make

• Red velvet just shouts Valentine’s Day.
• Each cookie provides both a cookie and candy fix!
• Their smaller size makes a less guilty pleasure than a full-sized cookie or slice of red velvet cake.

My daughter is a big fan of red velvet desserts (she requested this Red Velvet Checkerboard Cake for her birthday!), but the hubby, well, not so much. The token amount of cocoa power doesn’t result in the ooey, gooey chocolate treats that he’d prefer.

But, despite his persnickety palate, he loved these cookies. Who wouldn’t be a fan of these buttery sugar cookies with a mega-dose of red food coloring and that bit of cocoa topped with either a white chocolate wafer or a white chocolate Hug??? They were a hit!

How to Make

There are a couple of different techniques. With my Peanut Blossoms, I press in the chocolate, then return the pan of cookies to the oven for a few more minutes of cooking. This recipe has the candies added after they’re finished baking, but still hot. Here is the procedure for these thumbprint cookies: 

1. Make the cookie dough.
2. Roll out pieces of dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing accordingly.
3. Press your thumb into the middle of the ball of dough, about halfway down.
4. Bake the cookies as directed
5. Immediately out of the oven, place a white chocolate wafer or a Hug in the center of each cookie.
6. Remove them from the cookie sheet. Let cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

You May Also Like:

I hope you’ll try these Hershey Kiss Thumbprint Cookies! Any kind of Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs will work in this recipe so you can shake them up depending on your mood, Plus, I have lots more red velvet recipes on the blog.

• Red Velvet Cake from I Am Baker
• Red Velvet Hot Chocolate from Southern Plate
• Favorite Red Velvet Recipes 
• Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Icing 
• 30+ Valentine’s Day Recipes
• Plus, More Cookie Recipes

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The Recipe:

Red Velvet Thumbprints

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 42 minutes

Yield 3½ dozen

Red velvet thumbprint cookies filled with white chocolate or topped with a white chocolate Hershey's Hug. Adapted from The Pinterest Kitchen via BettyCrocker.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 teaspoons red food coloring
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 42 Hershey's Hugs or White Chocolate Melting Wafers

Instructions

1. Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy (about 2 minutes).
2. Add the egg, food coloring, and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda to the mixture and blend together.
4. Roll out pieces of dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave room for them to spread out.
5. Press your thumb into the middle of the ball of dough, about halfway down.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes at 350º.
7. Immediately out of the oven, place a white chocolate wafer or a Hug in the center of each cookie, then remove them from the cookie sheet. Let cool completely.

Notes

Red velvet thumbprint cookies filled with white chocolate or topped with a white chocolate Hershey's Hug. Adapted from The Pinterest Kitchen via BettyCrocker.com

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Reynolds Kitchens Non-Stick Baking Parchment Paper Sheets - 12x16 Inch, 22 Count
• 
  KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer 
• 
  USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

42

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 4g

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