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These Crumbl Red Velvet Cupcake Cookies are thick, soft, and topped with the silkiest cream cheese frosting swirl, just like the Crumbl bakery version, only fresher, and better homemade.
They have that true red velvet flavor, buttery, slightly tangy, with a hint of cocoa and the perfect bakery-style cookie crumble on top.
If you love Crumbl dupes, try my Crumbl Nilla cupcake cookie, red velvet chocolate chip cookie, and red velvet cream cheese brownies next.
These are AMAZING. I just love red velvet and these come out so well! I love your crumbl cookie recipes! They all come out thick, soft, and chewy! If you don’t like sweetness you can just not add the frosting on top as the cookie isn’t that sweet but boy does it make it more delicious. I was supposed to start a diet this year, but with these cookies, the diet could wait till next year!
Let’s Chit Chat!
I love recreating Crumbl cookies at home and sharing them with you! It’s been one of the mos tfun parts of my recipe journey.
This Red Velvet Cupcake Cookie was one of those ultra viral Crumbl dupes on social media and the response has been wild every time I re-share it!
I retested this recipe again this year to make sure it’s extra soft, perfectly flavored, and pipes beautifully, just like the bakery version. You’re going to be obsessed with these!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- True Crumbl copycat texture & flavor
- Soft, plush red velvet cookie with a smooth cream cheese frosting
- Easy recipe with pantry staples
- Freezer-friendly and great for gatherings
- Cheaper & better than $5 a cookie
Ingredients for this Crumbl frosted red velvet cookie
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this Crumbl red velvet cookie recipe. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.
- Butter- You can use either salted or unsalted butter for this recipe as long as it is softened.
- Brown and granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Vinegar
- Red gel food coloring- Red gel food coloring works best in this cookie recipe.
- Cocoa powder
- All-purpose flour
- Salt- Always add a little salt to your baked goods to balance out the sugar flavors.
- Cornstarch- This will help make our cookies a little extra tender.
- Baking powder- Make sure to use softened cream cheese for this recipe.
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
How to make these Crumbl red velvet cupcake cookies?
This is how you can make these delicious frosted red velvet cookies. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
- Cream butter + sugars
- Mix in egg, vanilla, red coloring, vinegar
- Fold in dry ingredients
- Scoop, bake, cool
- Pipe cream cheese frosting on top
- Easy. Beautiful. Show-stopping.
Expert Tip
- Don’t overbake, pull when the edges look set.
- Use gel food coloring for the best red color
- Chill frosting 10-15 minutes before piping for clean swirls.
- Want bakery crumbs on top? Crumble one baked cookie right on top.
Frequently asked questions – FAQ
Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. They stay soft, but best enjoyed within 48 hours.
Yes. Freeze frosted cookies up to 2 months. Flash-freeze on a tray first, then store in layers with parchment.
Yes, make 18 mini cookies instead and bake 7 minutes. Pipe frosting as you would on the large ones.
Crumbl red velvet cupcake cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter salted or unsalted
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1-2 tsp red gel food coloring
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F then line a baking sheet with parchement paper and set it aside.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy.1/2 cup butter, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in the egg, vanilla extract, vinegar, and red gel food coloring until combined.1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp white vinegar, 1-2 tsp red gel food coloring
- Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until the flour mixture disappears. Don't overmix your dough. Save one tablespoon of cookie dough to decorate your cookies later.1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Then using a large cookie scooper scoop out 9 equally sized cookie dough balls, place them on the prepared baking sheet, and gently flatten them to about 1/2 inch in thickness. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10 minutes, then let them cool down on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool down fully.
- Bake the 1 tablespoon of cookie dough for 7-8 minutes then use it to decorate the cookies.
Cream cheese frosting
- In a stand mixer bowl or a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy.4 oz cream cheese, 3 tbsp butter
- Add in the powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, and whip for 3-5 minutes or until fluffy. If the frosting seems soft, chill it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes then whip again.1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup powdered sugar
- Place the frosting in a piping bag with a large round piping tip or in a ziplock bag with the tip cut off and frost each cooled-down cookie. Top with crushed red velvet cookie crumbs and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Notes for Crumbl Red Velvet Cupcake Cookies
- Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for the classic red velvet flavor.
- The white vinegar helps brighten the red color and gives the cookies a softer texture, it’s best not to skip it.
- To avoid dryness, weigh your ingredients and don’t overbake; the cookies will continue setting as they cool.
- No need to chill the dough unless you want slightly thicker cookies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved these cookies so much! Only thing I would change is a bit more sugar but that is my preference because I have a major sweet tooth. My whole family loves them
I totally get it! I’m glad you’re family loved the recipe! 😊
Showstoppers! Loved the detailed instructions and how the recipe made just 9 of the large cookies. I used the back of a measuring scoop to flatten the dough and that worked perfectly. So excited to try more of your thick Crumbl copycat cookie recipes!
Thank you for the kind words Lauren!
Hi! planning on making these this year, wanted to know why the gel food coloring is best for this recipe? wasn’t sure if it affected the dough or it’s just overall healthier or better than the droppers.
I use the Americolor ones!
Hi! Can these be frozen and be kept for a long time?
Yes if you freeze them! Make sure to flash freeze them on a flat surface first then transfer to an airtight container. Then, separate each cookie layer with parchment paper or wax paper to keep them from sticking and freeze for up to 2 months.Once you are ready to enjoy these, pull them out and allow them to sit on the counter for a few hours to soften.
This was my first time trying an actual red velvet! I loved the recipe, super soft yes a lil crispy on the outside. I love that you write the ingredients in the instructions so i don’t constantly lose my place. I wonder why the vinegar necessary, I had some doubts about actually using it haha
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Yes!!!! The ingredients directly below each part of instruction gave me life!!!
Hi Iris! I read through the comments and noticed you asked about adding vinegar. Not sure if you ever got a response or not, but I was curious about that myself. I looked it up and what it does is it helps with the leavening agents – the baking powder or baking soda. 🙂
This is exactly right!
Is the white vinegar a must in this recipe? Does it make any difference if I leave it out?
Hi Alyna! The vinegar helps with texture and color. You can skip it if needed, but the cookies may be a touch less vibrant and slightly denser.
I love the cookies but mine never turn out right. I wish there was a video 🥰
Aw, thank you Fredia! I’ll work on a video for ya!! I usually add them to my social media pages!! Will add them here as well!
can i put them in the air fryer?
It might be a little different but I don’t see why not. Just make sure that you use the ‘bake’ setting and not the ‘air fryer’ setting.
Hello, Love all your recipes!!! I also really appreciate you have the metric measurement option, but did notice this one did not..Would it be possible to add it? Thank you!!
Hi Sue! Thank you so much for catching that. I’ll get the metric measurements added to this recipe so it’s consistent with the others.
Hi! I love your recipes, especially love that you write the ingredients in the instructions and I don’t have to go up and down 😂. This one didn’t turn out great for me, the dough was a little dry, I must’ve done something wrong 🤷🏻♀️
You’re welcome and sometimes when I over mix my dough it becomes a little dry so that’s probably the dough was like that.
AMAZING! I loved how these cookies were soft and cake like. I could literally taste the chocolate. The frosting wasn’t too cream cheese flavored – it had a nice balance with the vanilla. My family loved them 🙂