Red Velvet Cookies

I'm bringing you a few treats to possibly make at your Red Nose Day Bake Sale. You are having one aren't you?
24 March sees Comic Relief's Biennial fundraising Red Nose Day event. The charity which helps disadvantaged people here in the UK and in Africa too, will be hosting their ever popular telethon on the night with a host of celebrities erm, hosting. The night will also include the much anticipated Love Actually mini sequel, well worth donating some dosh for!

This year I chatted to TV's Carrie Grant to find out her thoughts on the day, and already made some cherry almond cream cheese treats as a suggestion for your bake sale. This time here is my recipe for red velvet cookies.

In truth, I had hoped they would be a more vivid red, rather than a brick red color. Nonetheless, these tasted smashing and with a dusting of icing sugar over the top, no one would know!

If you wanted a more reddish hue, go for less cocoa, use goat butter (which tends to be less yellow than regular) and clear vanilla extract which you can find online. All of these tips will make your red velvet cookies 'pop' (I don't know why I don't take my own advice!). Add as much red food colouring as you think is necessary by the way, but gel colouring is best.

You will notice in the ingredients below, vinegar is included. This is quite normal in red velvet treats and you don't taste it in the finished bake. It reacts with the bicarb and gives a bit more leavening apparently!
These are soft cake like cookies, which is just how I like them!
Here is the recipe:
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Red Velvet Cookiesby S Vettese March-15-2017Red Velvet Cookies perfect for a bake sale!Ingredients

• 300 grams plain flour
• 25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 170 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 300 grams granulated sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• Red food colouring
• Icing sugar to garnish

InstructionsIn a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb and salt.In a separate bowl, with a mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition. Add the food colouring and vanilla and beat these in too.Add the vinegar and beat this in. The mix will go lumpy, don’t worry it will come together.Add the dry mix and slowly beat this until you have a smooth batter.Refrigerate for about an hour and when ready to remove from the fridge preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and line two cookie sheets with some greaseproof paper.Dollop spoonful’s of the mix onto the cookie sheets, spacing apart slightly as they will puff out.With wet fingers, push the mounds down a little.Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or just until the edges turn a darker color.Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before carefully peeling them from the greaseproof paper and allowing them to cool fully on a cooling rack.When cool, dust with a little icing sugar and your cookies are ready to enjoy/sell!DetailsPrep time: 15 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 25 Yield: 30 cookies approx

I'm entering these cookies into this month's Treat Petite, hosted by myself and Kat, The Baking Explorer.

As these are quite cakey in texture, I am entering these into Love Cake hosted by Ness over at Jibber Jabber UK. The theme is a batch of cakes, and these are certainly a batch.

I'm also entering these into this month's We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette at Tin and Thyme.