Description
Delightfully spicy and sweet, Red Hot Cookies combine the warmth of cinnamon-flavored red hot candies with a tender buttery cookie base, topped with a creamy, lightly colored red buttercream frosting. Perfect for holiday celebrations or cozy treat times, these cookies soften beautifully after a day, intensifying flavors and textures for an irresistible experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup red hot candies, broken into pieces
Buttercream Frosting
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) butter
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- A few drops red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Place the butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes, creating a creamy base for your cookies.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract or paste into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until fully combined to ensure even flavor distribution.
- Incorporate Salt and Flour: Gradually add salt and all-purpose flour to the mixture, mixing slowly to avoid overworking the dough. Stop mixing once you see some flour remnants to maintain a tender texture.
- Prepare Red Hot Candies: Use a rolling pin, rubber mallet, or knife to break the red hot candies into small pieces. Fold these spicy sweet pieces gently into the cookie dough until evenly distributed.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness to achieve thicker cookies. Use cookie cutters to shape the dough, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange the cut cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Chill Dough and Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the cut-out cookies in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to prevent excessive spreading while baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the chilled cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly golden brown. Use a small spatula or knife to gently lift cookies from the sheet if the red hot candies cause spreading. Cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting: Beat together butter, whipping cream or milk, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until the frosting is completely smooth. Adjust powdered sugar quantity to achieve desired consistency. Add a few drops of red food coloring if preferred for a pink hue.
- Frost and Decorate: Spread or pipe the buttercream frosting onto cooled cookies and optionally sprinkle extra red hot candies on top for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- Cookies develop better flavor and soften pleasantly when rested overnight in an airtight container after frosting.
- Breaking red hot candies is easiest by placing them in a ziplock bag and smashing with a rolling pin.
- Use grams for precise flour measurement; if using cups, spoon flour lightly without packing for accuracy.
- Nutrition facts are estimated based on 22 cookies, individual cookie size may vary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
