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.