This Red Hot Cookies Recipe is crafted to steal your heart on Valentine's day. These soft, buttery cookies have a red hot kick that makes them irresistible and eye catching.
If you like easy cookie recipes, you'll love these Valentine's cake pops, dessert nachos, red velvet cake mix cookies, or these holiday cookie boxes.
Why I love a red hot cookie
- Their buttery texture - These sugar cookies have a buttery texture that you'll never forget. They're always a crowd pleaser no matter the occasion.
- Versatile shapes - Like most sugar cookie recipes, you can shape and cut the cookies into whatever you'd like. Hearts or lips are my favorite if I'm serving them at a galentines theme party.
- Great for gifting - Share the love of these adorable cookies by giving them away as valentine's or Christmas gifts.
- The frosted kick - The red hots frosting adds a a fun, spicy kick thats unique yet delicious.
How to make Red Hot Cookies
Prepare the cookie dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together softened butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and almond extracts until light and fluffy. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and gradually add them to the wet ingredients.
Chill: Chill the cookie dough for a couple of hours or overnight.
Roll, cut, and bake: Roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut into your desired shapes. Bake the cookies on a prepared baking sheet until golden brown.
The frosting: While the cookies are baking, whip together softened butter, powdered sugar, and crushed red hot candies until a fluffy texture is reached.
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Decorate: When the cookies are cooled to room temperature, frost them and top with more red hot candy.
Pro tip: You can crush the red hot candies in a small bowl or in a food processor.
Make ahead, storage, and freezing instructions
To make ahead: You can make these cookies a few days in advance to save some time in the kitchen. They will stay good at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, make the dough ahead of time, store in the fridge for a few days, and bake when ready.
How to store: Allow cookies to cool completely and store in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. Enjoy within 3-4 days.
Can I freeze these cookies? Place room temperature, unfrosted cookies in a freezer-safe bag. I recommend making the frosting fresh. They will last 3-6 months in the freeze. Additionally, if you have any remaining dough, you can freeze leftover cookie dough and thaw in the fridge when you're ready to bake.
Recipe variations
- Gluten-free: You can make these gluten-free sugar cookies by simply using gluten free all purpose flour. (King Arthur gluten-free blend is my favorite)
- Chocolate lover: Melt chocolate and drizzle it over the frosting for a rich and decadent twist.
- Get festive: Decorate with heart shaped sprinkles, red flowers, or other valentine's day candies.
- The Christmas version: Since these are red cookies, they will definitely work for the Christmas season. Throw some green and red sprinkles on top for an easy, homemade Christmas dessert.
More festive recipes
- Serving a Valentines charcuterie board is a great way to display all kids of amazing red colors.
- I love making these Christmas Oreo truffles for any holiday and decorating with different sprinkles.
- This easy Christmas popcorn and this Christmas crack chex mix are always big hits during the holiday season.
- If you need something to wash down all these sweet treats, try one of our valentines mocktails.
Red Hots Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Sugar cookies
- 1 1/3 cups butter softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour King Arthur gluten-free blend is my favorite, regular flour works as well
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Red Hot Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk as needed
- 1/4 cup crushed red hot candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add egg, vanilla and almond extracts
- In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients then slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until well combined, scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
- Refrigerate dough for 1 hour
- Heavily flour your work surface with white flour and place half the dough on to surface and top with more white flour
- Roll out dough and cut out shapes with cookie cutters
- Gently place cookies on a greased or silicone mat lined baking sheet (I use a spatula)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until slightly golden brown
- Cool on pan 3-5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack
- Continue with the other half of the dough
- While all the cookies are cooling, whip together butter, powdered sugar and red hot candies to make a delicious red hot frosting
- Frost the cookies once they are completely cooled
Notes
Make ahead, storage, and freezing instructions
To make ahead: You can make these cookies a few days in advance to save some time in the kitchen. They will stay good at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, make the dough ahead of time, store in the fridge for a few days, and bake when ready. Can I freeze these cookies? Place room temperature, unfrosted cookies in a freezer-safe bag. I recommend making the frosting fresh. They will last 3-6 months in the freeze. Additionally, if you have any remaining dough, you can freeze leftover cookie dough and thaw in the fridge when you're ready to bake.Recipe variations
- Gluten-free: You can make these gluten-free sugar cookies by simply using gluten free all purpose flour. (King Arthur gluten-free blend is my favorite)
- Chocolate lover: Melt chocolate and drizzle it over the frosting for a rich and decadent twist.
- Get festive: Decorate with heart shaped sprinkles, red flowers, other valentine's day candies.
- The Christmas version: Since these are red cookies, they will definitely work for the Christmas season. Throw some green and red sprinkles on top for an easy, homemade Christmas dessert.
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