Indulge in Homemade Perfection: The Ultimate Copycat Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie Recipe
Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie – Imagine a cookie with the soft, cakey texture of a red velvet cupcake, generously frosted with the most irresistible, creamy cream cheese frosting. It’s truly a perfect fusion of a cake and a cookie, delivering a luxurious treat that’s both familiar and exciting. This recipe brings the magic of a bakery-quality Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie right into your home, letting you savor every bite without stepping out the door.
There’s no denying that Crumbl Cookies have captured the hearts (and taste buds) of many, becoming a viral sensation across social media, especially on TikTok. Their reputation for crafting enormous, uniquely flavored, and perfectly textured cookies is well-deserved. If you’ve ever dreamt of sinking your teeth into a warm, fresh Crumbl-style cookie without waiting in line or driving to the nearest store, then you’ve come to the right place. This guide is dedicated to showing you how to master your very own Copycat Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie at home using an easy and incredibly satisfying recipe. These cookies aren’t just red velvet; they’re decadently soft, delightfully gooey in the center, and crowned with the creamiest, tangiest cream cheese frosting you can imagine. Get ready to experience that coveted bakery-quality cookie in your own kitchen!
FOR MORE CRUMBL COPYCAT RECIPES, EXPLORE THESE FAVORITES:
- Crumbl Copycat Cornbread Cookie Recipe
- Best Crumbl Copycat Iced Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
- Crumbl Copycat Peach Cobbler Cookie
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies
This homemade Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie recipe isn’t just a dessert; it’s an experience. Here’s why these cookies will become your new favorite:
- Achieve the Perfect Cookie Texture: These aren’t just any cookies; they boast a uniquely soft, almost cake-like center, perfectly balanced with a slight chewiness around the edges. This ideal texture is what makes them so irresistible and truly reminiscent of a classic red velvet treat.
- Better Than Store-Bought Goodness: Skip the trip, the wait, and the price tag of commercial bakeries. Making these copycat Crumbl Red Velvet cookies at home means enjoying them warm, fresh out of the oven, with that undeniable homemade touch that truly can’t be beaten. You control the quality of ingredients, ensuring a superior flavor experience.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: With their vibrant crimson hue and luscious cream cheese frosting, these cookies are naturally perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or any holiday celebration. Yet, they’re so utterly delicious that they’ll be a hit for birthday parties, potlucks, or simply as a comforting treat whenever a craving for red velvet strikes.
- An Easy and Enjoyable Baking Project: Don’t be intimidated by the “Crumbl copycat” title. This recipe is designed with clear, step-by-step instructions, making it approachable and fun for bakers of all skill levels. It’s a fantastic recipe to try with family or friends, creating delicious memories along with delicious cookies.
- The Ultimate Cream Cheese Frosting: What’s red velvet without its signature tangy, sweet, and unbelievably creamy cream cheese frosting? This recipe delivers a frosting that is rich, perfectly balanced, and pipes beautifully, elevating your cookies to true dessert masterpieces.
Essential Ingredients You’ll Need
Crafting the perfect Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie starts with the right ingredients. Below, we’ll highlight the key components, explaining their role in achieving that signature flavor and texture. For precise, detailed measurements, remember to scroll down to the full recipe card at the bottom of this page:
- Unsalted Butter: Always start with room temperature butter. This is crucial for proper creaming with sugar, ensuring a smooth, emulsified mixture that traps air, leading to light and fluffy cookies.
- Granulated Sugar and Powdered Sugar: Granulated sugar provides the base sweetness and contributes to the cookie’s structure and a slight crispness on the edges. Powdered sugar, on the other hand, is essential for the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the cream cheese frosting.
- Large Eggs and Egg Yolk: Using both a whole large egg and an additional egg yolk contributes to the cookie’s rich flavor and helps create that desirable soft, moist, and slightly chewy texture. Ensure they are at room temperature for better incorporation.
- Vanilla Extract: A high-quality pure vanilla extract is indispensable. It enhances the overall flavor profile of both the cookie and the frosting, adding a warm, aromatic depth.
- Cocoa Powder: This is what gives red velvet its distinctive, subtle chocolatey flavor. For an authentic red velvet experience, opt for regular (natural) cocoa powder, not Dutch-processed, as it has a higher acidity that interacts with the baking soda (if used) to help achieve the color and texture.
- Lorann’s Red Velvet Emulsion or Red Gel Food Coloring: For that iconic vibrant red hue, a concentrated coloring agent is key. Lorann’s Red Velvet Emulsion offers both color and a unique red velvet flavor profile. If using gel food coloring, it provides intense color without diluting the dough, unlike liquid food coloring. You can often find emulsions at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or online. Here is a link to the emulsion on Amazon.
- All-Purpose Flour: While some red velvet recipes might call for cake flour for an extra tender crumb, this recipe uses readily available all-purpose flour, which still yields a wonderfully soft and tender cookie. Ensure you measure it correctly (spooned and leveled) to prevent dense cookies.
- Salt, Cornstarch, and Baking Powder: Salt balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors. Cornstarch is a secret ingredient for soft, tender, and slightly chewy cookies, preventing them from becoming too stiff. Baking powder provides the necessary lift, giving the cookies their perfect height and cake-like texture.
- Cream Cheese: For the frosting, always use full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature. This ensures a thick, creamy, and stable frosting with the perfect tangy flavor.
- Heavy Whipping Cream (for frosting): A small amount of heavy cream in the frosting helps achieve an incredibly smooth, fluffy, and pipeable consistency.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Bake Your Copycat Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies
Follow these detailed steps to create your own batch of luscious Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies. Precision and patience are your best friends in the kitchen!
For the Cookies:
- Preparation is Key:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Accurate oven temperature is vital for even baking.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. This prevents sticking and ensures easy cleanup. Set it aside.
- Crafting the Perfect Cookie Dough:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream together the softened room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale. This step incorporates air, which is essential for a tender cookie. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well combined.
- Next, add the large egg and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds until fully incorporated. Then, add the egg yolk and mix for another 15 seconds. Ensure each egg is thoroughly blended before adding the next ingredient.
- Now, introduce the distinctive red velvet elements: the Lorann’s Red Velvet Emulsion (or red gel food coloring) and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until the color is evenly distributed and the vanilla is incorporated.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, cornstarch, and baking powder. Whisking them ensures they are evenly distributed, preventing pockets of leavening or salt in your cookies.
- Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet butter mixture, mixing on low speed until *just* combined. Be very careful not to overmix, as this can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, dense cookies. A few streaks of flour are fine; they will disappear during baking.
- (Optional) If you desire extra bursts of sweetness and a textural contrast, gently fold in white chocolate chips at this stage.
- Portioning and Baking to Perfection:
- For truly “Crumbl-sized” cookies, use a large cookie scoop (roughly 4 tablespoons or weigh about 3.5 ounces of dough per cookie). Place the formed cookie dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet, ensuring ample space between each to allow for spreading. You should yield approximately 8-9 large cookies.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges appear set, but the centers still look slightly soft and gooey. Overbaking will result in a drier, less cakey texture.
- Once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. This crucial step helps them set without breaking. After a few minutes, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
This creamy, tangy frosting is the perfect complement to the rich red velvet cookies.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter and cream cheese together. Start on low speed and gradually increase to medium until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, usually about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure everything is well combined and no lumps remain.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, about half a cup at a time. This prevents a sugar cloud and ensures smooth incorporation. Once all the sugar is in, add the vanilla extract, a tablespoon of heavy cream (which helps achieve a silky smooth texture), and a pinch of salt.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes. This will whip air into the frosting, making it wonderfully light and fluffy. The frosting should be smooth, thick, and easy to pipe or spread.
Assembly – Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie:
The final touch that makes these cookies irresistible!
- Ensure your red velvet cookies are completely cool before frosting. If they’re even slightly warm, the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide right off.
- Transfer the prepared cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or your favorite decorative tip). If you don’t have a piping bag, an offset spatula works perfectly for spreading.
- Pipe or spread a generous swirl of cream cheese frosting on top of each cooled cookie. For an extra decorative flourish and a textural crunch, you can sprinkle additional red velvet crumbs (from a leftover cookie or a small portion reserved for this purpose) or even pink velvet cookie crumbs on top.
Top Tips for Perfect Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies
Achieving bakery-quality cookies at home is easy with a few expert tips:
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: This is a golden rule for baking! Softened butter, cream cheese, and eggs at room temperature emulsify better, creating a smooth, cohesive dough and a lump-free, creamy frosting. Cold ingredients can lead to a lumpy batter and a denser final product.
- Do Not Overmix the Dough: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten in the flour, resulting in tough, dry, and chewy cookies instead of the desired soft, cakey texture.
- Allow Ample Space on the Baking Sheet: These are giant Crumbl-style cookies, which means they will spread! Ensure you leave at least 2-3 inches of space between each cookie dough ball on your baking sheet to prevent them from merging into one giant cookie.
- Monitor Bake Time Closely: Oven temperatures can vary, so keep a close eye on your cookies. For that perfect gooey, soft center, cookies should be removed when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to bake slightly from residual heat on the baking sheet.
- Measure Flour Correctly: For accurate baking, always spoon your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge (like the back of a knife). Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to too much flour and dry cookies.
- Chill the Dough (Optional but Recommended): If your kitchen is warm or if you want slightly thicker cookies with less spread, chilling the cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour before baking can make a noticeable difference.
- Scrape Down the Bowl Often: During the mixing process, especially when creaming butter and sugar or beating frosting, ingredients can stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Regularly scraping with a rubber spatula ensures everything is evenly incorporated.
Frequently Asked Questions – Your Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie Queries Answered
Here are some common questions about making these delicious copycat Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies:
Can I use regular liquid food coloring instead of red gel food coloring or emulsion?
While you technically can, it’s not recommended. Liquid food coloring is less concentrated and adds more moisture to the dough, which can affect the cookie’s texture. Gel food coloring or red velvet emulsion is the best way to achieve that vibrant, deep red color without altering the dough consistency. Emulsion also adds a distinct red velvet flavor.
Can I make smaller cookies instead of large ones?
Absolutely! For smaller, more traditional-sized cookies, use a standard 1.5 to 2-tablespoon cookie scoop. Just be sure to adjust the bake time accordingly, typically 7-8 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still soft.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, these red velvet cookies with cream cheese frosting freeze beautifully! You can freeze them either frosted or unfrosted. To freeze, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid (this prevents them from sticking together). Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container or bag. They can be stored for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Why are my cookies flat?
Several factors can lead to flat cookies: your butter might have been too soft (melted butter spreads quickly), your oven might not be at the correct temperature (use an oven thermometer), or your baking powder might be old and ineffective. Also, too much sugar or not enough flour can contribute to spreading. Ensure your ingredients are at the right temperature and measured precisely.
My cream cheese frosting is too runny/too stiff. How can I fix it?
If your frosting is too runny, it’s likely due to overly warm cream cheese/butter or too much liquid. You can try adding more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. If it’s too stiff, add a tiny bit more heavy cream or milk (half a teaspoon at a time) until it’s smooth and spreadable.
Recommended Tools for Your Baking Adventure
Having the right tools makes all the difference in the kitchen, especially when baking! Here are my go-to recommendations:
- Mixer: A good stand mixer or a reliable hand mixer is essential for creaming butter and sugar and whipping up fluffy frosting. I honestly can’t bake without mine!
- Bowls: I personally love using glass mixing bowls for their versatility, but here are some other excellent options that I highly recommend.
- Rubber Spatula: A sturdy rubber spatula is invaluable for scraping down the sides of the bowl and ensuring all ingredients are fully incorporated. I’ve had mine for years, and it’s still going strong!
- Measuring Cups & Spoons: While they might seem plain, having sturdy and accurate measuring cups and spoons is fundamental. These last a long time, and I’ve measured countless ingredients with them.
- Cookie Scoop: To achieve consistently sized cookies, especially the generous size of Crumbl cookies, a large cookie scoop (about 4 tablespoons) is a game-changer. This is the exact one I use.
- Baking Sheets: Good quality baking sheets promote even baking. I’m a big fan of the brand from Sam’s Club, but you can also find great alternatives on Amazon here.
- Wire Rack: A sturdy wire rack is essential for cooling cookies evenly and preventing them from becoming soggy on the bottom. This one is my absolute favorite and is incredibly durable.
Storing and Freezing Your Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies
To keep your delicious Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies fresh and enjoyable for longer, follow these storage and freezing guidelines:
- Storing: Store leftover frosted red velvet cookies in an airtight container. They will remain fresh and delicious at room temperature for 3-4 days. For extended freshness, especially in warmer climates or if your frosting is very delicate, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just make sure they are in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out or absorbing other food odors.
- Freezing: These cookies are excellent for freezing! You can freeze them either unfrosted or fully frosted. To freeze, arrange the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until they are completely solid (this prevents them from sticking together). Once solid, transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer-safe bag or an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper if stacking. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw them at room temperature.
For more delicious recipes like this, here are some red velvet favorites to try!
- Best Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches Ever!
- Oreo Red Velvet Cookies With Frosting
- Easy Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
If you’ve loved making and enjoying these Red Velvet Crumbl Cookies, please don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and a comment below! Your feedback is incredibly valuable, and I’d love to hear about your experience or answer any questions you might have. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for more fun baking inspiration and delicious recipes.
Recipe
Red Velvet Crumbl Cookie
Molly Murphy
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons LorAnn’s Red Velvet Emulsion or substitute red gel food coloring
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons regular cocoa powder not dark
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough:
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
-
In a medium-sized bowl, using an electric hand mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 1¼ cups granulated sugar
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Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the whole egg and mix on medium speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the egg yolk and mix for an additional 15 seconds.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
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Mix in the red velvet emulsion (or red gel food coloring) and vanilla on low speed until just combined.2 teaspoons LorAnn’s Red Velvet Emulsion, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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Add the cocoa powder, flour, salt, cornstarch, and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.3 tablespoons regular cocoa powder, 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon baking powder
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Using a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop or weighing out 3.5 ounces of dough per cookie, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each cookie. You should have about 9 cookies.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are set and the centers are slightly soft.
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Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
-
In a medium-sized bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat for another 2 minutes.4 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar, Pinch of salt
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With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Then mix in the vanilla, heavy whipping cream, and a pinch of salt.
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Once combined, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Assembly:
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Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting onto each cookie using a piping bag or an offset spatula.
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