If you’re looking for a unique cookie, try these rich and buttery red velvet thumbprint filled with the best ever cheesecake filling! These cookies are perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or any other occasion.
I love red velvet anything! Cakes, cupcakes, or cookies, they’re all delicious especially when the dessert is paired with cream cheese frosting or filling. These cookies are made red and rolled in red sanding sugar, then they’re filled with a cheesecake filling and baked to perfection. These little cookie pillows are so satisfying, and you won’t be able to stop at just one!
Whether you’re making these for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, whoever you’re giving them to is going to love them. These cookies are bright red, sparkly, and unique!
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Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Flour and Salt: The dry ingredients for this cookie recipe don’t include any baking soda or baking powder! This cookie is most like a shortbread cookie. Thumbprints don’t rise much while baking, and are pleasantly light, buttery, and crisp.
- Butter, Brown Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla: Let the butter sit out at room temperature until softened. Then cream the butter with the sugar until smooth and creamy, here’s how. Then add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and whip again.
- Cream Cheese, Sour Cream: These 2 ingredients are mixed with sugar, an egg yolk, and vanilla extract to make a creamy cheesecake filling.
- Cocoa Powder, and Food Coloring: Adding these ingredients will turn your cookies into red velvet cookies!
How To Make Red Velvet Thumbprints
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat silicone mat. Set aside.
- Make the Filling and Chill. In a medium size bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add in salt, vanilla extract, egg yolk and sour cream, mix until smooth and creamy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill the filling in the fridge as you make the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until creamy (2-3 minutes). Add in an egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix again until well combined.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients. Add in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. To add a red color, add in enough food coloring to reach the desired color.
- Form Cookies. Place red sanding sugar in a shallow dish, then using a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon size) scoop out dough and roll into balls then roll in the sanding sugar to evenly coat them. Place the balls on the parchment, and press the center of the cookie down with the backside of a tablespoon or your thumb. Repeat with all of the cookies.
- Bake and Add Filling. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, gently press in the center of each cookie again and fill with the cream cheese filling. Place back in the oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Cool. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top Tips
- To Make the Indentations: I’m using the rounded end of a wooden spoon with a slightly wider handle to make the circular spaces in these cookies. You can also use a rounded measuring teaspoon, or do it old-school with your thumb! If you have a kiddo helping you bake, little thumbs work particularly well for this job.
Storing
These cookies will keep fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to three months.
Store them in a single layer or put wax paper between layers to keep them from sticking together.
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FAQs
The original version of this cookie style was made by pressing a thumb into the dough to create an indentation for fruit filling. Here I choose to use a tool to make them look a bit neater, but using your thumb instead is traditional, and I’m using a cheesecake filling instead of fruit filling.
For cheesecake thumbprints, you should fill the cookies with the filling before putting them in the oven. The cheesecake filling contains egg yolk, and needs to be baked along with the cookie.
While testing this recipe I didn’t find it necessary to chill the dough before baking. If yours seem to be spreading too much in the oven, or if you are in a warm climate, you may need to let them chill for 15-30 minutes.
That’s it, you now hold the key to making butter, crispy, sweet, vibrant, and creamy cheesecake cookies! Be sure to Pin this recipe to save it for later.
Red Velvet Cheesecake Thumbprints
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Red Gel Food Coloring
- Red Sanding Sugar
For the Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat silicone mat. Set aside.
To make the filling:
- In a medium size bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add in salt, vanilla extract, egg yolk and sour cream, mix until smooth and creamy.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill the filling in the fridge as you make the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.
To make the cookies:
- In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until creamy (2-3 minutes). Add in an egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix again until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. To add a red color, add in enough food coloring to reach the desired color.
- Place red sanding sugar in a shallow dish, then using a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon size) scoop out dough and roll into balls then roll in the sanding sugar to evenly coat them.
- Place the balls on the parchment, and press the center of the cookie down with the backside of a tablespoon or your thumb. Repeat with all of the cookies.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, gently press in the center of each cookie again and fill with the cream cheese filling.
- Place back in the oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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Comments & Reviews
Christine says
This looks really good please send me the website thank you