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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 cookieÂ
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.
What type of cocoa powder – natural unsweetened or dutch processed? Thank you!
Hi Megan! I recommend using natural unsweetened cocoa powder for that authentic red velvet flavor and texture.
Hi. Am I able to pre-make the dough and refrigerate the scooped cookie balls before baking?
Yes you can!
I made these and they tasted great but they turned out a bit dry, any idea on what i could have done wrong or how to fix the problem if it happens again?
Hi Reagan! Dryness can happen if the flour is over-measured or the cookies are baked a bit too long. Weighing ingredients and pulling them out just as the edges set will help keep them soft.
How did you get your cookies to be so red? Mine came out brown from the cocoa powder
It could be because you used Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead of regular. If that’s not the reason, then adding a couple drops of gel food coloring will definitely do the trick
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but am wondering if there will make a difference if the dough is refrigerated prior to baking.
Thank you!
Hi Lisa! You don’t need to refrigerate the dough, but you can if you want slightly thicker cookies, just add a minute or so to the bake time.
These cookies were amazing! Usually with all of these cookie recipes I have to bake them in the oven a little bit longer than called for but other than that everyone that I have made these for loved them so much
These cookies are amazing! I will try more recipes no doubt. Are calories per serving or in total? Thank you for sharing 🙂
It is per cookie but the cookies are pretty large!
This was an amazing copycat- I doubled the recipe and made 2 oz balls. This cookie holds up well to the spread so flattening a little before baking worked for me. I didn’t use as much red food gel as instructed- but that didn’t change the flavor- which was amazing, recipe is a total keeper!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them!
What temp and time do you recommend baking for if I wanna bake these into a 8×8 pan as bars?
could I use cookie cutters and shape these into hearts? thinking of making for Valentine’s 🙂
Hi Ali! Yes, you can shape these into hearts using cookie cutters. Just make sure they’re not rolled too thin so they stay soft and moist.
Made these on a whim to get in the Valentine’s Day spirit. They did not disappoint. So easy to make!
What temp and time do you recommend baking for if I wanna bake these into a 8×8 pan as bars?
Great recipe! Loved the cookies!
Thank you!