Red Velvet Mug Cookies

I know some people are getting tired of all the red velvet recipes being posted the past few days, but I can’t help but share these Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies with you. How can you not smile starting off your day with one of these whimsical cookies accompanying your coffee? And if it’s any consolation, you can make these mug cookies with any type of dough (vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, lemon) and in any shape you want (heart, star, dinosaur, snowflake).




The idea came from the book Cookies, Cupcakes, and Pie, Oh My. After flipping through all the pictures, I decided to make the donut mug cookies. I was originally going to do chocolate donuts but then decided with it being February, I would make chocolate hearts. Then I decided to go even further and make red velvet hearts.



Surprise someone with a heart for Valentine’s Day, a star for a birthday, a tree for Christmas, or a flower just because. And if you decide not to be fancy, the red velvet cookie recipe is still delicious.



The hardest part is making the notches. The idea is to cut out a little rectangle than is slightly bigger than the rim of your mug. The dough will spread a little, so the hole will be a little smaller than what you cut.



For the royal icing, I didn’t have powdered egg whites. Alton Brown’s recipe called for pasteurized egg whites, which I didn’t have either. However, one of his commenters said you can pasteurize the whites by heating it in a bowl over simmering water. You only want to warm the whites until warm to the touch; any hotter and you’ll have cooked egg (oops). If you are feeding these cookies to someone who has a sensitive immune system, then you may just want to buy a safe alternative.



Red Velvet Mug Cookies

1 2/3 cups flour
2 Tbsp unsweet­ened Dutch processed cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bak­ing pow­der
1/2 cup unsalted but­ter, room tem­per­a­ture
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp red food coloring

Royal Icing
1 egg white, pasteurized
Few drops of vanilla
1/2 - 1 cup powdered sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in flour until dough forms.

Place a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Dump dough on top and flatten a bit with your hands. Place another sheet of plastic wrap on top; roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Refrigerate at least one hour.

Line two cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Remove dough from the fridge and place on the counter; remove the top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out desired shapes. Gather up the scraps and keep rerolling out a new layer of dough until it is all gone. If the dough gets too messy, refrigerate until you can handle it again.

If you are making mug cookies, cut out a little rectangle into each one. Make them slightly bigger than the rim of the mug because the dough will spread a little bit.

Chill the cookie trays for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Bake 10-12 minutes (size pending) or until firm around the edges. Cool completely.

When you are ready to decorate, make the icing. If your egg is not pasteurized, bring a pan of water to a simmer. Place the egg white in a bowl over the simmering water; whisk until warm to the touch. Do not heat too high or it'll start to cook. Remove the bowl from the heat. Beat the egg white and vanilla until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. You may not need all of the sugar (I used 1 cup and made it a little too thick, so I added a few drops of water to thin it out again). Decorate the cookies as desired (I used a paintbrush then added sprinkles while still wet). Let them sit for a few hours or until the icing dries.

Makes: 1-2 dozen cookies, size pending
Source: Cookie - Cake Artisan; Icing - Alton Brown