Red Velvet Cookies

This has been the year of better baking for me. As in, I've been trying more and more to make my cakes, cookies, etc. from scratch versus using pre-packaged mixes. Not that I have anything against packaged mixes, but you don't need to read a blog to know how to make those now do you? ;) I have made red velvet cookies for the past few years using a Betty Crocker recipe and their sugar cookie mix, but decided this year I would use my own sugar cookie recipe instead!

I decided that I would get a head start on my Christmas baking (for work at least) instead of spending 2 weekends in the kitchen making 6+ desserts to take to work, and then to take to my family on Christmas. Instead I am making 1-2 kinds of cookies each week for work, and then the week of Christmas I will make all the goodies for my family. Much less stressful this way. And my work people can love/hate me for more than a week ;) Although I've been bringing cakes and other goodies to work the past couple of weeks, these Red Velvet Cookies were the first of the Christmas cookie extravaganza...watch out girls, it's gonna be a sweet-tastic couple of weeks!!

Red Velvet Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp red food color
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 container cream cheese frosting (or your favorite homemade recipe)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixer, combine sugar and butter until fluffy.
3. Add in egg, sour cream, and food color. Mix until well incorporated.
4. In a separte bowl combine, cocoa, baking powder and flour.
5. Slowly add flour mixture in, until all is combined and a firm mixture is formed.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough onto a greased or foil-lined cookie sheets, 2-inches apart.
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes until just set. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack and cool completely before frosting. (They are pretty sweet on their own, so I frosted half, and left the other half plain!)