This is the story of how I saved an ugly cookie. Actually, let me re-phrase that… how I saved a disgustingly ugly-looking cookie that was totally worthy of eating but not appropriate for sharing with anyone, let alone on the blog. I decided to share them anyway because they have a funny story behind them, they ended up with a happy ending, and they were darn good too! Here are my Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.
I’m not sure how I found this recipe, but it was randomly tucked into the comments of another recipe on the internet that I happened to be looking at. I used that base recipe to create these. This cookie dough begins with a red velvet cake mix, and the batter is super duper thick. It’s so thick that I’m just gonna warn you right now that you’d better use a strong wooden spoon to stir it all up.
I had the brilliant idea of scooping mine into a big plastic bag and squeezing it onto my baking sheet. This was just a bad idea. It created unwanted swirls. It would have been MUCH better to use a cookie scoop, or even a spoon for that matter. You’ll find out why very soon…
I stuck a Hershey’s Hug Kiss in the center of each red velvet cookie dough blob.
And then squeezed some more cookie dough on top to sandwich it all together.
Here’s the part where I pretty much fell on the floor sort of laughing and crying. What do those look like to you?? Little piles of red velvet cow poop, right? Yep, I made red velvet cow poop cookies. NICE. The funny thing is that they were really delicious! They were not super cakey- just kind of like a regular cookie but a little soft- and then had that wonderful bite of chocolate in the middle.
After sharing my red velvet cow poop cookie photo with my Instagram (find me there as RecipeGirl) friends, they suggested I rescue the cookies with a swirl of cream cheese frosting. So I did. All better. Unless some unsuspecting individual licked the frosting off of the cookie, no one would have a clue what they once looked like.
They actually turned out kind of pretty after all!
And there’s a peek at that wonderful surprise of melted chocolate on the inside. These were a little messy (as is all red velvet), and the cookie dough is a strange consistency (thick!), but they’re really pretty easy to make and they’re quite delicious too. I had to force myself to stay away from them after I sampled a couple too many. The kiddos in the neighborhood enjoyed them too- though my son had to tell them all the cow poop story and ruin my reputation. Giggles all around 🙂
Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe Details
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)
- 4 to 5 large egg whites (start with 4... see step 2 below)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 24 Hershey's "Hugs" Kisses (White Chocolate + Milk Chocolate), unwrapped
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ to 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
Instructions
COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 4 egg whites and sour cream, then use a WOODEN SPOON to mix it into the dry mixture. The mixture will be very thick. Add an additional egg white if it's impossible to stir. A thick batter is what you're looking for though. You'll think it's way too thick (I did. I thought... there is no way this is going to work out!), but it does and bakes up into a tender cookie.
- Use a small cookie scoop or a spoon to drop a tablespoon of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Press a kiss into the cookie dough, and then top the kiss with another tablespoon of dough. Just kind of plop it on top... it will bake together in the oven and keep the Kiss inside. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Bake 12 to 13 minutes, until the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese with 1¼ cups powdered sugar and drizzle in enough whipping cream or milk to create a nice spreading consistency, adding more powdered sugar if needed.
- Spread the frosting on the cookies. Top with decorative sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- If topped with the homemade cream cheese frosting, the cookies will need to be kept in the refrigerator in a covered container. Bring to room temperature when ready to serve or nibble.
- Use store bought cream cheese frosting, if desired. It saves a little time!
Just found your blog and truly enjoyed it. My sister gave me a recipe for the same cookies you made. Red Velvet. I really enjoy making hers and they are very easy. She calls them “Easy Cookies.”
1 box cake mix (any kind)
2 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
Mix all ingredients by hand. Mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for approximately 6-8 mins. Cool. Spread cake frosting between layers. Make this big “Whoopie pie” or small. They are delicious.
I came across this recipe by accident and I am sitting here laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. My 3 yr old granddaughter ask me what I was looking at. I told her cow poop cookies. She looked at the computer screen and then at me and goes, Uh? I laughed even harder. Think I’ll make these cookies for a bake sale. LOL
lol 🙂
I just tried making these and it was an epic fail. 🙁 First batch didn’t cook through, even after more than 20 minutes and the 2nd batch came out like cake balls, not cookies.
And you weren’t kidding when you said the dough would be THICK!! 🙂
I just made these and I was sad that they came out more like a tough flat cupcake. I didn’t put anything in them (no hugs kisses etc), I just baked the dough following the recipe. Maybe the candy makes a difference? They aren’t soft in the least and they don’t taste like a cookie. The batter was not fun to stir or clean up and they stuck to the cookie sheet, even though I used Pam. I won’t do that again.
@ Dina I am trying these with cookies and cream kisses, had the same problem no hugs in the store. I was going to ask a store clerk where the kisses and hugs were, but stopped myself-that just sounds weird. lol Went to several stores with no luck. Hope these Cookies and Cream Kisses work out!
Any suggestions on what to substitute for the Hugs? I cannot find them anywhere. Everyone must have scooped them up for holiday baking. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!
Any other kind of chocolate kiss?
They look SOO GOOD! I cant wait to make mine. I hope they come out as great as yours looks!!
These are indeed delicious, but in the future when I make them, I’m going to call them cupcakes and do them in my small cupcake pan. They really aren’t “cookie’s” but still cake like.
I made these this afternoon and was disappointed. The dough was a bear to work with. After baking, the bottoms fell out where the melted kiss had settled when I tried to remove them from the baking sheet. And after all that, the taste wasn’t really that great. I won’t be making them again.
This looks so delicious.
Definitely trying these within the next week. My boyfriend mentioned how much he loves red velvet cookies when we first started going out. I’m surprising him with these. I’ve been looking around for different recipes, and couldn’t find anything besides just the basic cake mix. I’m so incredibly glad I found this so I can do something different. Thanks for sharing!
I am definitely going to try these out for the fire department fundraiser we are holding in a couple weeks. I’ll do a test batch this weekend and go from there. Just so you know I’m so glad they turned out looking like cow patties, I think everyone will get a kick out of them if I leave the topping off, and it will really help bring some donations to a great cause. We live in Texas so what’s better than cow patty cookies?
ha!
Just made these. Cookies are cooling and in the meantime I made the icing. YUM! Can’t wait to try. This is a test bake for me as I will be using these for my company bake off on May 7th!
Wish me luck!
These sound and look absolutely delicious!! I actually probably would’ve enjoyed their original shape since my friends and I are strangely amused by cow-poop shaped things… Since my spring break is coming up soon, I’ll probably try making these and sharing them with my family and my friends who are also home for break! The kiss in the middle seems like the perfect little surprise. I think I’ll try some with cream cheese frosting and some without. As someone else said, you can’t go wrong with cream cheese when it comes to red velvet!
I made these and they tasted so great! even without the kiss in the middle, it was still good! Tasted better the next day after refrigeration
These look deeee-vine!! LOVE them.
HaHaHa! ~ This made me laugh so hard! Thanks for sharing this experience with us! It’s a good thing you weren’t using chocolate cake batter! Ha ha ha!!
ROFL! I laughed so loud and long, the cat came in and is meowing at me. (I can’t laugh in this house without the cat saying something about it.) I would totally make these as cow plop cookies for the kiddos, except that the frosting just takes them over the top. Yummage!
remember pretty is as pretty does, and I am pretty sure that these are yummy!! I WILL make these! thanks. 🙂
Super funny! I love that you posted the *red poop piles*!!! They look so yummy lol! Thank you for this recipe..i’d really like to try it! 🙂
i really love everything about these cookies! Especially the surprise inside 🙂 So gorgeous…i have an obsession with non-pareils! Happy V-Day!
I modified these slightly by leaving out the hershey kiss and making these like whoopie pies. I did add a little veg oil to the batter as it was still really thick after 5 egg whites. I used a 1 inch scoop, flattened them out a little and cooked for 10 minutes. I had been wanting to make whoopies pies for a long time and this made it really easy. They turned out so delicous and moist! Thanks for the recipe!
I loved your story. Laughter is a good way to start my day. Thanks!
LOL Red velvet POOP cookies….LOL Thanks I really needed a good laugh tonite. Kinda reminds me when I was a kid + mud pies + green food coloring. So, anyway so very happy you added the frosting…they really do look yummy….funny…but yummy.
Oh my, I need to try these! Everything you make looks absolutely heavenly!
After seeing your tweets about the disappointment, I’m happy to see you rescued your forlorn little red cherubs. Love the chocolate sneak attack and that last photo of your perfect bite will make your teenage orthodontist proud.
Love the story ‘behind’ the cookie!!!!! Teehee!
I’d love to make them with milk chocolate Kisses.
Thanks for the laugh as well as the recipe!
Love it! Hilarious, but what an amazing save! I am sure they are delicious with the kiss in the center too!
That is the best looking piece of poop I’ve ever seen. I’d eat it!
Couldn’t wait to see your post of these after seeing the pictures on Instagram. Love everything about these tasty cookies! If only I had a few to nibble on right now!
they look great, and one would never know…
OK so I am totally addicted to the cauliflower pizza, I have made it 4 times so far…I love it…can one overdose on cauliflower?
BTW because I have been making it so much, I did a little experiment with the recipe and cut down on the cheese to one cup, it worked fine, and less calories too!!!
Im totally gonna make these thanks for sharing!
Love hearing about mishaps turning into successful recipes! At the end of the day, it’s all about the taste anyway, right?
LOL!!! Great post – the recipe sounds delicious (and EASY).
Loooove the idea of sneaking a kiss in there…literally 🙂
You had me tearing up this morning. I saw your post, paged through it without reading first. Came to the picture looking down on your little swirls. Thought … yikes, looks like what I go around our yard daily picking up with the pooper scooper. LOL They look good, but I’m back to being good with WW. Maybe later. Thanks for the giggle.
HA HH A HA HA HAH A A HA HAH AH AHA HAHA HAHA H A!!
This just TOTALLY cracks me up!!! and I love that you came up with a solution!!
any now you have a good cookie idea for April Fools! {wink}
Fun post 🙂 These look delicious!
You have tickled me this morning; I needed that! Rolling laughing at the “red velvet cow poop”! It made me feel better, as I completely bombed something red velvet the other day–but I couldn’t save mine like you did!
Perfect way to top these off. I giggled at your Instagram post too…I love that you found a way to turn these into cookies that you wanted to share. Love it!
Lori these cookies look so delicious and I was giggling at your comments about them on instagram yesterday. The frosting and the hersheys kiss are beautiful additions…I want one of these, like now!
Such a unique idea! I just made red velvet cupcakes yesterday. I love anything red velvet.
Hilarity. The thing is though, if there have been two colors swirled around in the cookie it wouldn’t have looked like poop probably. Great idea dding the cream cheese on top cause what’s red velvet without it?
You did a great job saving these. I keep laughing when I look at the picture without the icing.
They might not have been the prettiest cookies to start but they sound absolutely delicious!
Love all the layers on these cookies!
These definitely turned out very cute in the end (no pun intended:-)). They sound delicious, too!