These cookies are seriously delicious. Soft and moist in the middle, with just the right amount of crunch on the outside. They are sweet, without being overly sweet. With plenty of mix-ins, this cookie is full of both flavor and texture. Plus they are faster and easier to make then a red velvet cake. A perfect treat for Valentines day!
Work has been a little stressful lately. There have been so many things up in the air. I've been working to navigate things to come out on top, but it's still been stressful.
This morning I woke up not feeling great. I've had a really slight cold that has been basically unnoticeable during the day, but when I lay down I start coughing and am suddenly congested. I didn't sleep well. And when I woke up, I could tell I had spent the night clinching my teeth. My head and neck hurt and I was super tired. I laid in bed, surfing social media, not ready to get up.
Eventually I got out of bed, changed my clothes, and ate breakfast. I drank lots of water. I grabbed a book and read for a little bit. I wrote in my journal. And I did a yoga video specifically designed to help with stress and anxiety. A hour or so later, my head felt better. My whole body felt better. And my brain felt clearer and ready to start the day.
A few years ago I had an experience that colored my feelings about "self care." Someone dumped something on me that had to be done immediately just after I had had two root canals in the name of their self care. I took care of things, but I felt a lot of frustration. In the time since then, I have realized that self care is about taking care of yourself is about making sure that your needs are met and not building up so you aren't dumping your workload on someone who isn't in a great place either.
These cookies. They count as self care. I am sure of it. And they are fitting for Valentines day. If you've never had red velvet anything, they are really just chocolate with red food dye added to tinge them red. I didn't add very much food coloring because I didn't see a need for a lot as we were just eating them at home. But you could totally make these more Valentines dayish by adding more. Totally up to you.
Another thing that's totally up to you: the size. I made these cookies to a decent size, but you could also adjust them to be bigger or smaller depending on what you want. Just be sure to adjust your baking time so it's shorter or longer depending on if they are bigger or smaller. My version makes about 14-16 cookies
When you pull the cookies out of they oven, they should still be on the gooey side. They will continue to cook as they sit and reach that just right stage of soft in the middle with a bit of toasted crunch on the outside.
You can also use what ever mix ins you want. I used white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and Oreos. But you could add sprinkles. Or use semisweet chocolate chips. Or cherry chips. Or whatever combination of things you want.
These cookies are seriously delicious. Soft and moist in the middle, with just the right amount of crunch on the outside. They are sweet, without being overly sweet. With plenty of mix-ins, this cookie is full of both flavor and texture. Plus they are faster and easier to make then a red velvet cake. A perfect treat for Valentines day!
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, cold
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
red food coloring
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup broken up Oreos
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar. Cream another 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides occasionally. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla.
Add cocoa powder to mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Add desired amount of red food coloring and beat until fully mixed in, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add flour, cornstarch, soda, and salt. Mix until just barely combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add most of remaining ingredients (the mix-ins) and pulse to incorporate. You'll want to save a few tablespoons of the mix-ins to press into the cookies for texture on the outside of the cookies.
Divide the dough into 16 cookies and form them into balls. Place 8 on each cookie sheet. Press the remaining tablespoons of mix-ins into the tops of the cookies. Bake for 6-9 minutes. They should just be starting turn brown, but still be slightly gooey in the middle. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
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