I stole this recipe for Red Velvet Cream Cheese Thumbprints from somethingswanky.com who stole it from Red Velvet Lover’s Cookbook by Deborah Harroun. This recipe is different type of thumbprint cookies. Red velvet cookie dough is rolled in sugar then partially baked. Halfway through baking an indentation is made in the cookie so the filling can go in. The filling is made with cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla. After scooping in the filling, the cookies finish in the oven. These cookies taste like a bite of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The red color makes them a prefect Valentine’s Day treat!

Preheat oven to 300 F. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat together 1 cup butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp vanilla until light and fluffy. (I doubled this recipe, so all my pictures so double amounts of ingredients.)

Next, mix in 2 cups flour, 4 tsp food coloring and 2 tsp cocoa powder until soft dough forms.

The dough should be a bright red color.

Scoop dough by heaping tbsp and roll in granulated or sanding sugar before placing on baking sheet (2 inches apart).

Use the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the cookie dough. I use a ½ tsp measuring spoon to make the indent in the cookies.

Bake 10 minutes. For the filling, beat together 4 oz cream cheese, 1 egg yolk, ¼ cup sugar, ⅛ tsp salt and ¼ tsp vanilla until smooth.

After 10 minutes of baking remove the cookies from the oven. Use the back of a spoon to deepen the indentation in the cookies. Spoon a tsp of the filling into each indentation.

Finally, bake an additional 12 minutes, until filling is set.

Let cool completely before serving.

For other Valentine’s Day treats you can try Cocoa Meringues with Berries or Strawberry Love Cake.

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Red Velvet Cream Cheese Thumbprints

This recipe is different type of thumbprint cookies. Red velvet cookie dough is rolled in sugar then partially baked. Halfway through baking an indentation is made in the cookie so the filling can go in. The filling is made with cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla. After scooping in the filling, the cookies finish in the oven. These cookies taste like a bite of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The red color makes them a prefect Valentine’s Day treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Southern

Keyword Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Cooling Time 10 minutes

Total Time 42 minutes

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup butter softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups AP flour
• 4 tsp red food coloring
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• ½ cup granulated sugar or sanding sugar

Filling

• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 egg yolk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat together butter, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour, food coloring and cocoa powder until soft dough forms.
3. Scoop dough by heaping tbsp and roll in sugar before placing on baking sheet (2 inches apart). Use the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the cookie dough.
4. Bake 10 minutes.
5. For the filling, beat together cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth.
6. After 10 minutes of baking remove the cookies from the oven. Use the back of a spoon to deepen the indentation in the cookies. Spoon a tsp of the filling into each indentation. Bake an additional 12 minutes, until filling is set.
7. Let cool completely before serving.

Recipe Notes

I use a ½ tsp measuring spoon to make the indent in the cookies. When making the indents in the cookies use a ½ tsp measuring spoon. I cooked the filling for 14 minutes instead of 12 minutes. When I doubled the recipe my yield was 87 cookies.