My husband has two favorite cakes. Carrot and Red Velvet. So when I saw a recipe in a magazine for Red Velvet Cookies using Betty Crockers bagged sugar cookie mix, I figured I could recreate this one  easily enough on my own. And since it’s almost Valentines Day, I made them heart shaped and topped them with his favorite frosting as well. These were the perfect cookie. Soft and not overly sweet and the family loved them. If you don’t have a heart shaped cookie cutter, you can use a glass and make them round or even make them a bit smaller than I did here.

Red Velvet Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 c. Butter (I used salted), room temperature
1 1/2 c. Confectioners Sugar (aka powdered or 10x)
1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Large Egg
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 c. Sour Cream (I used reduced fat)
1 tbsp. Red Food Coloring
2 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
3″ Heart Shaped Cutout
Cooking Spray
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe below
Red Sugar Crystals, optional

Directions:
1. Cream together the butter, sugar and cocoa powder with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Next, add in the egg, vanilla, sour cream and food coloring and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; then gradually beat into the butter mixture. The dough will be sticky.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, then roll out the dough on a smooth, lightly floured surface until it is 1/4″ thick. I like to break the dough in half to work with smaller pieces.
6. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; then cut out the hearts and place on the pan about 1-2″ apart. They won’t spread, but will “puff” up.
7. Bake at 325 degrees for dark coated pans or 350 degrees for glass or aluminum pans for 18-20 minutes.
8. Allow to cool, then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle with red sugar crystals while the frosting is still wet. Makes 18 cookies

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 202, Carbs 24g Fat 11.2g, Protein 2.7g, Fiber 1.3g
*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz. Cream Cheese
1/4 c. Butter (I used salted)
1 c. Confectioners Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

Directions:
1. Cream together all ingredients until smooth. If you like your frosting a little sweeter, add more sugar.

*Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 93, Carbs 7g Fat 6.9g, Protein 1g, Fiber 0g*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy!

If you are not going to eat the cookies right away, store them in an air tight container at room temperature. Once they are frosted with cream cheese, you must keep them in the refrigerator. Cream cheese will go bad if not refrigerated.