Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate

Cuteness aside, these red velvet cookies are a chewy slice of heaven. With a hint of buttermilk, they're reminiscent of the classic moist cake, in cookie form. And that drizzle of white chocolate... It's hard to imagine anything more sublime. Remove those eyeballs and you have yourself this year's holiday cookie.

Did you know the original red velvet cake had no red food coloring? The combination of cocoa and buttermilk gave the cake its reddish tint (the acidity of buttermilk brought out the red anthocyanin compounds in the cocoa). Cool, right? I added food coloring to these cookies, but I also added the buttermilk for the classic red velvet experience. It's an experience I know you will enjoy.

What I LOVE about red velvet cake (and these cookies) is that you use a VERY small amount of cocoa powder, so you end up with a cake/cookie that's not quite chocolate and not quite vanilla - it's the best of both worlds.

Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 large egg
2 tablespoons buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 cup white chocolate chips or melting wafers
Candy eyeballs if making mummies!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 to 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat in the food coloring. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
Using a 2-inch cookie scoop (or heaping tablespoon), drop the dough onto the prepared pans, about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until soft to the touch (you'll notice that tiny holes are evenly distributed all over the surface of the cookies - that's when they're ready to come out of the oven).
Cool the cookies, on the baking sheet, on wire rack.
Melt the chocolate in the small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or in the microwave, checking and stirring every 20 seconds.
Drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the cookies to create the "mummies" (you can also pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag or freezer bag, snip the corner and drizzle the chocolate that way).
If you're making mummies, insert the eyes into the chocolate and allow to set. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Makes 24-28 cookies