Gluten Free Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies | Soft & Chewy

These thick, soft and chewy gluten free red velvet chocolate chip cookies have just the right red velvet taste in a portable cookie form—with the preparation ease of a drop cookie.

The best Valentine's Day cookies? My gluten free red velvet chocolate chip cookies!

There's something about the hint of cocoa, the red color, the slight tang from some apple cider vinegar and just the right amount of white chocolate chips that makes these cookies … just my thing.

And, of course, since they're soft batch, they really do taste like they're just right out of the oven. But without the ooey gooeyness. I like my cookies to stay together, and cookies that are actually right out of the oven? They don't do that. Although I adore gluten free chocolate crinkle cookies, there's just something extra special about these soft batch red velvet gluten free cookies – thick, chewy, and decadent.

There is also something festive about red velvet cookies, or really red velvet desserts of any kind. They're great for holidays like Valentine's and Christmas since they're special, but don't require any extra effort at all. Holiday gluten free baking at its easiest!

Red velvet lovers and haters

What is red velvet? Delicious, that's what!

It's essentially a cookie (or cake) with a tangy, sweet vanilla flavor and with cocoa and red food coloring in the recipe to give it a distinctive red hue, hence red velvet. And you control just how red you want your cookie dough. Go subtle and add just a hint of food coloring or leave it our altogether. Or go bold and make 'em super red!

Red velvet is one of those things that tends to evoke lots of strong opinions. Even though it's true that the original red velvet cakes were just slightly red-tinged because of the hint of cocoa powder (it's not really a super chocolate cake), I like mine really red. Ruby red.

It doesn't change the taste, of course (because that would be gross), but it does change my eating experience. If you don't want/can't have the food coloring? Leave it out. These gluten free red velvet chocolate chip cookies are based on my recipe for gluten free soft batch CCCs, but—I'm gonna say it—better. 

Baking with food coloring

If you refuse to use food coloring in your kitchen under any circumstances, skip this section—and skip the food coloring in this recipe! It doesn't affect the taste at all (when you do it right). Please, no campaigns in the comments to save the rest of us from the evils of food coloring.

For the rest of us, let's talk about which food coloring to use and when. I rarely use anything other than gel food coloring, which is a concentrated food coloring in gel form. Using gel food coloring means that you never have to add so much of the stuff that it changes the chemistry—and taste—of your baked goods. 

Is Wilton food coloring gluten free?

No! The most widely available brand of gel food coloring where I live is Wilton brand, but Wilton's food colorings are not reliably gluten free.

My favorite gluten free gel food coloring is AmeriColor brand. It's not cheap, but gel food coloring lasts a long, long time.

AmeriColor is sold in some kitchen supply stores and even fewer craft stores, so I buy it online. I like this Americolor kit best (that's an affiliate link) for a couple reasons.

First, that kit has great basic colors like blue, red, yellow and green. Second, the bottles are small, but they have a flip top that allows you to squeeze the coloring out in small amounts. If you purchase the colors that come in bottles with screw-on lids, you will get the color everywhere each time you use it. 

Your raw dough color should be a little too bright

Please keep in mind that food coloring fades during baking. You want the color of your raw batter or cookie dough to be brighter than the way you'd like your ultimate baked goods.

Try your best to mix the coloring into the wet ingredients before incorporating everything into the dry ingredients, and you won't have streaks of color in the cookies. There's no need to mix the wet ingredients separately, though, before mixing them into the dry. If you watch the video, you'll see what I mean. 

Red velvet chocolate chip cookies: team chewy or team crispy?

I love all cookies. I do not discriminate. But normally my love language is a super crispy cookie. Crispy cookies become crispy because of the balance of flour-sugar-eggs-vanilla ingredients in the recipe. But also because they're allowed to brown at a low oven temperature and very slowly. 

But red velvet cookies aren't going to be red if they are crispy, not without adding so much food coloring that you're bound to taste it (and not in a good way). The intense browning would lead to a very faded red color otherwise. 

That's why red velvet cookies are best made super thick like these soft batch-style cookies. They're also lovely as red velvet crinkle cookies, which are a family favorite, too. 

If you normally don't like soft and chewy cookies, or maybe you're all about the crispy on the outside, chewy inside like our Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies, you really should still give these gluten free red cookies a try. They're like the chocolate cookie for vanilla lovers like my son—and they just look so impressive on a holiday table.

Tips for making perfect red velvet chocolate chip cookies

You don't need any special skills or magical abilities to produce these fabulous gluten free holiday cookies. My recipe is fairly simple and, if you follow it closely, you'll end up with delicious red velvet cookies that nobody will know are gluten free. But there are some top gluten free baking tips I can give you that will make the journey smoother and the results more reliable.

Choosing the right gluten free flour blend

Drop cookies are some of the easiest types of recipes to bake, but you still do need to be careful about the ingredients you choose, especially the all purpose gluten free flour blend. I used and recommend Better Batter's classic gluten free flour blend, and you can of course use my mock Better Batter blend if you fancy making your own gluten free flour.

If you choose a higher starch gluten free flour blend, like Cup4Cup, please be sure to replace the added cornstarch in the recipe with more Cup4Cup. Otherwise, it's just way too much starch and your gluten free cookies won't spread or even really bake properly.

I also wouldn't try making this recipe with alternative and single-ingredient flours like coconut flour or almond flour. These gluten free flour options definitely have their uses, but not here. They behave differently than regular gluten free flours. Coconut flour, for example, is exceptionally dry and thirsty, so you'd need to adjust the recipe to add much more liquid. Stick with a good quality flour mixture if you want reliable, repeatable success with this recipe.

Avoiding streaky red velvet chocolate chip cookies

Try your best to mix the coloring into the wet ingredients before incorporating everything into the dry ingredients. That way, you won't have streaks of color in the cookies.

You want to enhance the natural red color that the small amount of cocoa powder in these red velvet cookies gives them. So be sure to mix the food coloring in well, to maintain the illusion! It's difficult to get an even color on your gluten free cookies if you add the food coloring to the dry ingredients or to the mixed dough. Add it along with the wet ingredients and incorporate thoroughly before you add the dry items.

Make sure to use cocoa powder, not hot cocoa mix

You can use either natural, unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but be sure you're not using hot cocoa mix, which has other added ingredients like sugar and milk powder. If you do end up using drinking chocolate mix, you'll end up changing the taste, color, and consistency of your gluten free cookies, and I can't guarantee the results.

Red velvet chocolate chip cookies: ingredients and substitutions

Depending on who you're cooking for and their dietary requirements, you might need to tweak gluten free recipes to cater to other needs. And, because this gluten free recipe is reasonably forgiving, that's okay.

Dairy free, gluten free red velvet cookies

In place of the butter in this recipe, try using vegan butter. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen.

I wouldn't use Earth Balance buttery sticks in this recipe, as it bakes more like margarine, and baked goods made with it tend to spread a lot in the oven. I also don't recommend your using melted coconut oil as it behaves differently in the oven and is more sensitive to temperature.

If you can't find dairy-free white chocolate chips, just use dairy-free semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. 

Egg free, gluten free red velvet chocolate chip cookies

In place of the egg, you can try using a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).

Gluten free, vegan red velvet cookies

If you'd like to make these cookies vegan, just use the dairy and egg substitutions described above, and make sure your sugar isn't made with bone char. You'll have vegan cookies. Remember to switch out the chocolate chips for a dairy free version, too, as this is something people often overlook.

Corn free, gluten free red velvet white chocolate chip cookies

This one’s easy! In place of cornstarch, you can use arrowroot. It's a similar starch that behaves in the same way here, and you'll never be able to tell the difference in your freshly baked cookies.

Is there an alternative to artificial red food coloring?

I don't recommend using liquid food coloring, which is not concentrated enough and will add lots of unwanted liquid. Luckily, there are now lots of natural food coloring alternatives available. Some are even gel, which means that you're able to add enough color without watering down the recipe.

I don't know if any of them are gluten free, though. If you can't use Americolor gel food coloring in their true red color, I would honestly just leave it out. The cookies will still appear slightly red because of the cocoa powder.

Vinegar substitution

In place of apple cider vinegar, you can use white wine or white balsamic vinegar. Just be sure to use a gluten free vinegar (that is, avoid malt vinegar).

Chocolate chip variations

I like using white chocolate chips, or mini white chocolate disks, in these red velvet cookies, but you can use any small pieces you like. Here are a few more suggestions:

• semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• milk chocolate chips (for a sweeter, more mellow taste than dark or semi-sweet)
• M&Ms (especially for holidays; they're gluten free in the U.S.)

How to store white chocolate chip red velvet cookies

Storing red velvet chocolate chip cookies

For short term storage, place these lovely cookies in a sealed glass container at room temperature. They should stay fresh for at least 5 days.

Freezing homemade red velvet cookies

These cookies are super easy to store, since they're stable but soft enough that they don't freeze completely solid. Just make sure they're completely cool before you freeze them, or you'll end up with ice crystals when the heat evaporates and freezes.

FAQs

Are red velvet chocolate chip cookies gluten free?

No! Most red velvet chocolate chip cookies are made with conventional, gluten-containing flour. This special recipe is for gluten free red velvet chocolate chip cookies. It's absolutely delicious and the gluten eaters in your life will never know the difference.

Which is better for red velvet chocolate chip cookies: liquid food coloring or gel food coloring?

Always use gel food coloring in baking, unless you're tinting a liquid. Gel food coloring is highly-pigmented and has very little liquid, so it doesn't change the moisture balance in your baked goods.

How do I decorate red velvet cake cookies for the holidays?

Before the step where you add the food coloring, separate the cookie dough into 2 parts. Add red gel food coloring to one, and green gel food coloring to the other. Follow the remainder of the recipe as directed, adding 3 ounces of chips to each half.

Red velvet cookies and “green velvet” cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie plates!

Why did my red velvet drop cookies come out crunchy?

You may have baked them too long and/or in a too-hot oven. You want them to melt slowly from cookie dough balls into cookies in a 350°F oven.

Why did my baked cookies spread so much?

Did you beat the butter and sugar first until creamy before adding the other ingredients? If you began with melted or too-soft butter (if your butter is greasy, it's too soft), your cookies will spread more. If you used a butter alternative with too much liquid, they will also spread too much. Try Melt or Miyoko's Kitchen brand vegan butter next time!

Why did my red velvet cookies turn out brown instead of red?

Did you add enough red gel food coloring to your cookie dough? Adding too little food coloring to your cookie dough is the primary reason that your cookies turned out brown instead of red.

You may also have baked the cookies for too long or in a too-hot oven which can cause the food coloring to fade too rapidly and your cookies to be too crunchy and dark. Remember, you want the cookie dough balls to melt slowly into beautiful, soft, chewy chocolate-studded, red-colored cookies.