No Egg Cream Cheese Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies (Vegan!)
Soft and rich naturally vegan red velvet cookies that are stuffed with a decadent and tangy cream cheese filling for the ultimate holiday cookie! Tastes like a slice of red velvet cake in cookie form!
Why you’ll love these easy cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies:
I am a lover of all cookies, but if you’ve been a reader for a while, then you know my love of cakes runs deep (though I will say that there are dedicated chapters to BOTH in my cookbook 😉 I can’t choose favorites haha!).
So during Cookie Week 2022, I of course had to include an ode to one of my favorite cakes in existence: red velvet cake.
These cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies are an absolute dream. And they go perfectly with the other vegan Christmas cookies we’ve released so far this year, including:
You’re in for a treat. The soft and chewy red velvet cookie base is hinted perfectly with a touch of cocoa and that wonderful tang of sour cream. Then the cream cheese filling shines through and adds that bit of moisture and sweetness to round out the experience. It’s a dream of a cookie.
Seriously, if you make these cookies for a cookie exchange or to give out as gifts, you’re about to be begged for the recipe!! Everyone will just adore these cookies, vegan or not! And yes, you can make them gluten-free too 😉
Grab my free cookie baking guide and shopping list:
How to make the cream cheese filling:
The key to cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies that taste like a slice of cake is obviously in the filling. Like the perfect ratio of red velvet to frosting, honestly!
This part can trip you up, though, as cream cheese can become runny when mixed with sugar (even vegan cream cheese!). Don’t fret! You’re not doing anything wrong- this is supposed to happen.
You’ll simply cream together the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, a touch of flour (to help it set better), and vanilla (for flavoring). Then we’ll scoop the filling into tablespoon sized dollops onto a baking sheet.
Next, we’ll freeze the filling. Mine set in 30 minutes, but I know this can vary depending on how cold your freezer is. If your dollops are set, but still a bit sticky, it’s okay- you can still move onto the next step!
However, the more set and frozen the cream cheese is, the easier it will be to assemble your red velvet stuffed cookies.
Assembling vegan red velvet cookies with cream cheese filling:
Now for the fun part- stuffing our vegan red velvet cookies with cream cheese!
This requires a few steps. The first being to scoop a cookie dough ball from your red velvet cookie dough.
Press your thumb into the dough ball to create a cavity. This will be where the semi-frozen cream cheese filling will go. Place one frozen dollop of the cream cheese filling into the cavity and place it onto your cookie sheet.
Then scoop another cookie dough ball and create yet another cavity with your thumb. This time, place the cavity side down and on top of the cream cheese filling of the other cookie dough ball to form one massive cookie.
Seal the sides with your thumbs, then gently roll the dough between your palms to round it. Dip the cookie dough ball into granulated sugar for, and place onto your baking sheet.
Then just simply repeat for the remaining cookies! I recommend spacing them about 3 inches apart, as they are rather large red velvet cookies.
FAQ’s
Why are my cookies not that red?
This could be two issues. The first, you didn’t use enough food coloring. A strong and good vegan red food coloring gel is powerful, but you might have used a liquid food color, which requires more liquid. If you notice that your wet ingredients aren’t a powerful red color, then definitely add more.
The second issue is if you used a natural food coloring, like beet powder. Beet powder tends to turn “red velvet” more maroon colored. I also notice that the 365 brand of natural food coloring does NOT keep its red hue, so air away from that!
What’s the flavor of red velvet?
Glad you asked 🙂 If you haven’t tried my vegan red velvet cake, then I highly recommend you must! Red velvet is essentially like a rich and decadent fluffy cake with just a hint of cocoa. It also has a wonderful tang from buttermilk as well. Then you frost the cake layers with a fluffy cream cheese frosting. It’s heavenly.
Can I use regular dairy products in these cookies?
I’m vegan, and live a vegan lifestyle, so I have not tried these cookies with regular butter and cream cheese. However, I have had readers say that swapping in regular dairy products are successful with my recipes! You’re more than welcome to try it out with these vegan cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies, but go at your own risk!
You’re just going to love these deliciously decadent cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies!! Definitely one to save for those cookie exchanges 😉
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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No Egg Cream Cheese Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies (Vegan!)
- Prep Time: 10
- Chilling Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Soft and rich naturally vegan red velvet cookies that are stuffed with a decadent and tangy cream cheese filling for the ultimate holiday cookie! Tastes like a slice of red velvet cake in cookie form!
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cookie Dough:
- 1 3/4 cup (230 g) all purpose flour* or gluten free 1:1 baking flour or oat flour mixed with 1 tbsp arrowroot starch, sifted and spoon & leveled
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) organic granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (85 g) dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp vegan red food coloring gel (I like Nomeca)*
- 1/2 cup (100 g) organic granulated sugar, for rolling
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Measure out all ingredients. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the vegan butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract, and vegan red food coloring. Mix until everything is combined, and the food coloring is evenly distributed. Add in the flour mixture, and use a silicone spatula to fold the flour into the wet ingredients until evenly distributed.
- Chill: Cover the cookie dough bowl, and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling.
- Prepare the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, all purpose flour, and vanilla extract until combined. Use a tablespoon measurement, and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto one of the prepared baking sheets. The mixture will be very soupy, don’t worry. Once tablespoon dollops of the cream cheese filling have filled the baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
- While the cookie dough and filling are chilling: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Shape the cookies: Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, as well as the cream cheese filling from the freezer. I recommend removing the parchment of the cream cheese filling from the baking sheet, and relining it with a new piece so that you can put the cookies on top.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) or tablespoon measurement, and scoop one cookie dough. Press a cavity into the center of the dough ball and place a cream cheese filling ball in the middle.
- Scoop another cookie dough and create another cavity. Place the cavity side of the cookie dough ball down on top of the cream cheese filling, and seal the edges of the cookie.
- Roll between your palms to round the cookie dough ball, then roll in the extra granulated sugar. Place onto the baking sheet, and repeat for the remaining cookies.
- Bake: Place the baking sheets into the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops are puffy. Remove from the oven.
- Cool and serve! Allow the cookies to fully cool (about 15 minutes) before serving so that the cream cheese sets. They’re even better from the fridge! Store in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Gluten free: I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure baking flour. You can use the gram measurements or the US cup measurements, but I always recommend gram/metric for the most accurate bake.
Vegan butter: These taste best with Miyoko’s vegan butter.
Organic sugar: I recommend organic sugar (specifically Florida Crystals) because it’s not only high quality, but it’s also certified vegan (not all sugars are vegan).
Vegan sour cream: Forage Project is my favorite vegan sour cream. You can also swap in dairy free yogurt if you can’t find it!
Red food coloring: Nomeca is my preferred vegan red food coloring. I would NOT recommend using beet powder.
Vegan cream cheese: Tofutti, Kite Hill, and Miyoko’s cream cheese are all great here.
Hi Britt,
These cookies are amazing. I’ve made them twice, the second time I made sure to cool my dough longer than you stated in your instructions before forming cookie dough balls and also after I formed them, just because I think it is way to hot here and they needed extra cooling. I made these with the oat flour, but I was wondering if the extra Tbsp of arrowroot starch also applies for the GF flour?
Thank you!
Hi Cristina! Aw thank you, I’m so happy you love them!! And yes, the extra tbsp of arrowroot also applies if you’re using GF flour not just oat flour! Enjoy!!
Why did my cream cream melt into my cookie and why did my cookies spread
Hi Michale! So what brand vegan cream cheese did you use? Some I’ve noticed can be finicky but unfortunately, I can’t test them all because I don’t have access to them all. For the cookies not spreading, did you use a kitchen scale? You may have over measured your flour!