Red Velvet Lava Cookies

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Red Velvet Lava Cookies

Red Velvet Lava Cookies are bursting with red velvet flavor - and molten nutella centers! Chewy, crisp-edged red velvet cookies are rolled in powdered sugar for a crinkle cookie effect, and stuffed with nutella.

Prep Time40

Cook Time12

Dough Chilling2

Total Time2 52

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: Dessert

Keyword: Red Velvet, Valentine's

Servings: cookies

Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Cookies

1/2 cup + 7 tbsp salted butter, melted & cooled slightly (15 tbsp in total) 211 grams, or 15 tbsp
3/4 cup granulated sugar 156 grams
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 163 grams
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp white vinegar 10 mL
4-7 drops red gel food coloring
2 and 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out 374 grams
1/4 cup cocoa powder 22 grams
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling

2/3 cup nutella
or chocolate ganache see notes below

For Baking:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make Cookie Dough: Melt butter in a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the sugars and whisk well to combine. Add the eggs, vanilla, and white vinegar, and whisk until smooth and combined, about 30-45 seconds. Add the red food coloring and whisk in. You'll have a vibrant red - this will become muted after adding the dry ingredients.
Stir in the dry ingredients. (It will seem like the dough isn't going to come together at first but it will - it takes some elbow grease! Or, you can get out your mixer for this step.)
1/2 cup + 7 tbsp salted butter, melted & cooled slightly (15 tbsp in total), 3/4 cup granulated sugar , 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 2 large eggs, at room temperature , 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract , 2 tsp white vinegar, 4-7 drops red gel food coloring, 2 and 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
Scoop & Chill: Scoop the dough into balls that are 65 grams in size. This is about 2.5 tbsp each. Place cookie dough balls into an airtight container lined with parchment paper (to prevent sticking) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Freeze Nutella: Freeze dollops of nutella that are 2 teaspoons in size on a wax paper lined baking sheet. This will take about 20-30 minutes – they must be fully frozen.
2/3 cup nutella
Prep to Bake: Preheat oven to 350℉. Add granulated sugar to a small bowl, and powdered sugar to another small bowl. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.
1/2 cup granulated sugar , 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Stuff & Bake the Cookies: Once you're ready to bake the cookies, get out 5 dough balls. Keep the rest in the fridge. Flatten each dough ball and place a frozen piece of nutella in the center. Completely encase the dough around it, making sure there are no cracks. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar, then very generously in the powdered sugar. Place the 5 dough balls on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes on a dark cookie sheet (or 1-3 minutes longer on a light colored baking sheet).
Cookies will have spread a good bit, and the edges will appear just set, while the tops will have a bit of a wobble and you may see an almost bubbly looking effect between the powdered sugared areas. Don't over-bake! They'll set up as they cool.
Tip: Bake one cookie as a test first! This way you can see what the right bake time is for your oven. Let the cookie cool for 20-30 minutes, taste it to make sure it set up to your likeness, then proceed.
Serve & Store: Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes, then transfer cookies to the cooling rack to finish cooling. Dig in after the first 10-15 minutes or so, while they're still warm, or let them set up to your liking!
Once cookies have cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Notes

Alternate Filling: Prefer a chocolate filling instead? Finely chop 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and add to a medium bowl. Heat 4 ounces (1/2 cup or 120 grams) of heavy cream in a small saucepan until simmering around the edges. Pour over the chocolate, let sit 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Freeze in 2 tsp dollops and use in place of the nutella.

Nutrition