Red Is The Color Of Love

Though I may be a baker, there are not many desserts that I would rush to the front of the line to get my hands on. Do not get me wrong, I love some creamy cheesecake or a perfectly dense lemon pound cake, but I wouldn’t risk my life in a stampede to be the first to grab them right out of the oven. I do not have a particularly big sweet tooth, but put a plate of warm or cooled (it honestly does not matter) white chocolate red velvet cookies in front of me and I will eat the whole thing in one sitting.

In my first year of culinary school, I had to read this story on the nostalgia of food and ponder what food made me think and feel the most when I saw, smelt, and ate it. It didn’t even take me a minute to figure out what I was going to write about. Red velvet cookies hold a special place in my heart. The first month of my freshman year of college at my old school is a time that I do not like to look back on. My long-time best friend turned girlfriend and I had just said our goodbyes and decided that we shouldn’t date anymore, which admittedly was mostly her decision. I was now at a school far away from home, alone, studying a subject I didn’t even enjoy and newly dumped. I spent the first month of college crying and texting her periodically as we decided to still be “best” friends.

After about a month, we both realized we loved each other too much to be “just friends” and decided that we were going to get back together. That same weekend I got on four different forms of public transportation to travel to her school about two hours away. Since my girlfriend first arrived at school, she raved about these white chocolate chip red velvet cookies. When I arrived, she had a stack of her new favorite snack in her hand and forced them down my throat because I “needed to try them.” I instantly fell in love with them. They were soft and warm, not what you would expect from a college dining hall. They were comforting, which was a feeling I needed at the time and a feeling that I now associate with my girlfriend.

I guess I have Seton Hall University to thank for my new favorite dessert. White chocolate chip red velvet cookies remind me of my girlfriend. Even when I try different brands, although it is not the same, I am reminded of the first time I had one. I am reminded of that feeling of finally getting to be with her again after a month of being apart. I struggled for a long time to find the exact recipe that could make these wonderful cookies that gave me the warmest of feelings. There were many online that helped me get very close, but the taste did not do justice to my favorite food memory. After going to culinary school, I was able to get the tools I needed to create an almost exact replica of the cookies of love that I now make for every occasion. This is my go-to recipe when I am asked by friends or family to make cookies. Who wouldn’t want a soft red velvet cookie for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or their birthday?

For this recipe you’ll need two medium size bowls, 1 small bowl, whisk, hand mixer or table mixer, rubber spatula, measuring cups and spoons, sheet tray lined with parchment and sprayed, and a cookie scoop if on hand.

Yield- 16 cookies

Prep Time- 10 minutes

Chill Time- 3 hours

Cook Time- 10-12 minutes

Total Time- 3 hours 22 minutes

Seton Hall Red Velvet Cookie Replica

1 Cup All-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 Teaspoon of corn starch

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of unsalted butter (softened to room temp)

1/3 cup of brown sugar packed

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

3 teaspoons of gel red food coloring

1 cup of white chocolate chip

1. Set up your sheet tray with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, corn starch, baking soda and salt) together in one medium size bowl and set aside.

3. Cream together butter and both sugars in the next bowl. This can be done with a hand mixer or table mixer. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Mix for about 3 minutes on medium speed.

4. Combine your egg, vanilla, and food coloring together in small bowl and whisk to a homogenous consistency.

5. Add your egg mixture to your sugar mixture and mix until red color is distributed evenly.

6. Lower your mixer and slowly add your dry mixture in 3 increments.

7. Turn off your mixer and using your rubber spatula fold in your white chocolate chips.

8. Using a cookie scoop, make about 1- 1.5 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart.

9. Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours.

10. Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

11. Take cookies out of the refrigerator and place on the middle rack of the oven.

12. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Tops will no longer look gooey, and the white chocolate might look a little toasted.

13. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Note: if you do not like white chocolate you can use milk, dark or semi-sweet but it will have a different ending taste.