Mastering Red Velvet Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
If you’ve been looking for a project that will absolutely wow anyone you share it with, this is it. These cookies are massive, clocking in at 120g of dough before you even count the fillings. They have a soft, chewy red velvet base, a molten cream cheese center, and a bright raspberry jam surprise tucked inside.
The challenge with stuffed cookies is usually keeping the filling from leaking out or the cookie from spreading into a flat puddle. We’re going to use two major baker’s secrets to prevent that: flash-freezing the centers and baking on a preheated pan. These steps might take a little extra time, but the result is a cookie that stands tall, stays thick, and holds its “treasure” perfectly inside.
Breaking Down the Ingredients
To get that perfect “velvet” feel, we need to be specific about our dry ingredients. It’s not just about the flour!
The Cookie Dough
- 115g Butter (Softened): Make sure your butter is truly at room temperature. If it’s too cold, it won’t cream properly with the sugars; if it’s melted, the cookies will spread too much.
- 100g Brown Sugar & 80g Granulated Sugar: The brown sugar provides that deep moisture and chew, while the granulated sugar helps the edges get a slight crispness.
- 1 Egg & 1 tbsp Vanilla: These are your binders and flavor builders.
- Red Food Coloring: Use a high-quality gel coloring if you can. It gives you a vibrant red without adding too much liquid to the dough.
- 225g All-Purpose Flour: The structure of our cookie.
- 10g Cocoa Powder: Just enough to give it that signature red velvet chocolate hint without turning the dough brown.
- 10g Cornstarch: This is a crucial “pro” tip. Cornstarch softens the proteins in the flour, resulting in a more tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie.
- 4g Baking Soda & 1g Baking Powder: These give the cookie its lift.
- 1/4 tsp Salt: To balance all that sweetness.
- 100g White Chocolate & 100g Mixed Chips: We use white chocolate because it looks stunning against the red dough, and a mix of milk and dark chips to add depth to the flavor.
The Cheesecake & Jam
- 100g Cream Cheese: Use the full-fat block kind. The spreadable tubs have too much air and moisture.
- 25g Powdered Sugar & Vanilla: To sweeten the center just enough.
- Raspberries, Sugar, and Cornstarch: If you’re making the jam from scratch, the cornstarch is vital to make sure it doesn’t run everywhere in the oven.
Step-by-Step: The Assembly Process
1. Prepping the “Core”
The biggest mistake people make is trying to stuff room-temperature cream cheese into dough. It’s a mess. Instead, mix your cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Scoop small balls onto a tray and freeze them for at least 2 hours. You want them hard as rocks. If you’re using jam, have that chilled and ready in a piping bag or with a small spoon.
2. Making the Dough
Cream your butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and food coloring. Start with a little color and keep adding until you get a deep, ruby red. Sift in your flour, cocoa, cornstarch, and leavening agents. Mix until just combined—don’t overwork it! Fold in your chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks by hand.
3. The Stuffing Technique
Take a 120g portion of dough (about the size of a large lemon). Flatten it in your palm like a pancake. Place your frozen cheesecake ball in the center and pipe a bit of raspberry jam on top of the cheese.
Carefully bring the edges of the dough up and over the filling. Pinch it tightly to seal. Shape it into a ball, but leave a slight “tip” or point on the top—this helps the cookie maintain its height as it bakes.
4. The Second Freeze
Once your cookies are assembled, freeze them again for at least 2 hours. This is mandatory. If you put these in the oven at room temperature, the cheesecake will melt faster than the dough sets, and you’ll have a red velvet explosion.
5. The Hot Pan Trick
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and—here is the secret—place your empty baking pan inside while it preheats. When you’re ready to bake, place your frozen cookie dough directly onto the hot pan. This immediate hit of heat sears the bottom of the cookie, helping it rise upward rather than outward.
Bake for 12–16 minutes. They might look a little soft in the center, but they will firm up as they cool.
Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)
Can I use liquid food coloring? You can, but you’ll need a lot more of it, which can change the consistency of the dough. Gel is much more concentrated and better for baking.
Why did my cheesecake filling disappear? If the filling seems to have vanished, it likely melted into the dough because it wasn’t frozen solid enough, or there was a hole in your dough seal. Make sure those cheesecake balls are completely frozen!
How do I get that perfectly round shape? The “cookie scoot”! As soon as the cookies come out of the oven and are still hot, place a large circular cookie cutter (bigger than the cookie) over it and gently swirl it in a circular motion. This pulls in any uneven edges and gives you a perfect circle.
How do I store these? Since they have cream cheese inside, these need to be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They are actually delicious cold, but you can also pop one in the microwave for 10 seconds to get that gooey finish back.
Can I use store-bought jam? Absolutely. Just make sure it’s a thick jam. If it’s too runny, it might steam inside the cookie and cause it to burst.
Tips for a Professional Finish
- Extra Toppings: Press a few extra chocolate chips or white chocolate chunks into the top of the cookie the second they come out of the oven. It makes them look much more appetizing.
- The Cooling Period: Do not try to eat these right away! The jam and cheesecake will be incredibly hot. Let them rest on the pan for at least 10–15 minutes. This also allows the cheesecake center to set into a creamy, fudge-like texture.
- The “Tip” on Top: When rolling your dough, making it slightly tall/conical ensures that as it spreads, it ends up at the perfect thickness rather than becoming too thin in the middle.
Red Velvet Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 115 g Butter softened
- 100 g Brown sugar
- 80 g Granulated sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
Red gel food coloring
- 225 g All-purpose flour
- 10 g Cocoa powder
- 10 g Cornstarch
- 4 g Baking soda
- 1 g Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 100 g White chocolate chopped
- 100 g Mixed chocolate chips
Cheesecake Filling:
- 100 g Cream cheese softened
- 25 g Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Raspberry Jam:
- 100 g Raspberries
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp water
Instructions
- Fillings: Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Scoop into small balls and freeze for 2 hours. If making jam, simmer raspberries and sugar, stir in cornstarch slurry to thicken, then cool.
- Dough: Cream butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla, and food coloring. Fold in dry ingredients, then chocolate chips.
- Assemble: Flatten 120g of dough. Place a frozen cheesecake ball and a teaspoon of jam in the center. Seal tightly and roll into a ball with a slight point on top.
- Freeze: Freeze the assembled cookies for at least 2 hours.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) with the pan inside. Place frozen cookies on the hot pan and bake for 12–16 minutes.
- Finish: Swirl with a cookie cutter for a round shape and press extra chocolate on top while warm.
Notes
- Don’t Skip Freezing: This is the only way to keep the cheesecake from leaking!
- Hot Pan: This ensures the cookies rise and bake evenly.
- Storage: Store in the fridge due to the cream cheese filling.
