Red Hot Cookies

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Red Hot Cookies are sweet, spicy, chewy, basically perfect cookies. Great for gifting and they’re just in time for Valentine’s Day! Inspired by my original Lemon Crinkle Cookies!

Red Hot Cookies aka The Perfect Cookie

These Red Hot Cookies are chewy little spicy cookies that I’m seriously in love with! They are made just like the Candy Cane Crinkles, but instead of crushing up candy canes, I crushed up some Red Hots. The candy softens in the oven, leaving these cookies perfectly moist and tender with just the right amount of cinnamon spice. You’ll love them!

Main Ingredients Need

Aside from needing to grab some Red Hots, you probably have the rest of the ingredients for the Red Hot Cookies in your pantry.

• Red Hots Candy – crushed. These are hard yet chewy cinnamon-flavored candy.
• Butter – softened. Use real butter for these cookies, instead of butter-flavored Crisco or margarine.
• Granulated Sugar – to sweeten.
• Vanilla Extract – used for flavoring.
• Egg – for structure and texture.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda – this gives the cookies their rise and texture.
• Salt – balances out the sweet flavor
• Flour – this fills out the cookie and gives it some structure.
• Powdered Sugar – rolling the dough in powdered sugar puts the crinkle onto these Red Hot Cookies.

Red Hot Cookie Variations

• One of my readers suggested making these into cut out cookies by adding 4oz of cream cheese when you are creaming the sugar and butter together. Then on a slightly floured surface, roll the dough out and cut away! She then dusted the tops with powdered sugar before placing in the oven.
• Another reader said they rolled the cookie balls in crushed red hots instead of powdered sugar.

How to Make Red Hot Cookies|Directions

For full details on how to make Red Hot Cookies, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Step 1: Prep

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light-colored baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat and set aside. Place Red Hots into a plastic food storage bag and crush using a rolling pin. You could use a food processor, but a rolling pin works just as well. Set aside.

Step 2: Make the Dough

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla and egg. Scrape sides and mix again. I like to use my stand mixer for this step.

Stir dry ingredients, excluding the powdered sugar, together in a small bowl and then pour into butter/egg mixture and slowly mix until just combined. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.

Stir in crushed candy. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.

Step 3: Bake + Cool

Bake 9-11 mins until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Troubleshooting

My Cookies Won’t Spread!

A lot of you have mentioned to me that these cookies don’t spread out. This problem happens because there is too much flour in your cookie dough! To fix this problem, fluff up your flour. Spoon it into your measuring cup and then level the top. This is the correct way to measure flour and how I measured it for this recipe. Be careful when measuring and you’ll have perfect Red Hot Crinkle cookies.

My Cookies Spread too Much!

A common problem when making these Red Hot Cookies is that they flatten out way too much! Why?

Butter.

This recipe calls for softened butter, not melted butter. The best way to get softened butter is to plan ahead. A couple of hours before you make these cookies set 1/2 cup of butter on the counter. As it sits there is will soften.

But if you are in a pinch you can microwave butter to soften it instead. Microwave in 5-second intervals rotating your cube of butter each time. Please please please use caution when softening this way. It can easily go from solid to melted in seconds! And in turn, your cookies will spread way too much.

Storing Red Hot Cookies

Store Red Hot Cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, at room temperature for maximum freshness.

To Freeze-

These freeze really well, so making them ahead is a great option! Simply follow the directions on the recipe card up until baking. Don’t bake yet. Instead line a tray that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper, and place a single layer of cookie balls on the tray. Freeze for 1 hour or until frozen. Once frozen, stick the cookie balls in a freezer-safe bag. Cookies will last in the freezer for about 2-3 months.

To Bake-

Put the cookies directly on the cookie sheet and stick them in your preheated oven. Sometimes the cookies need an extra 1-2 minutes to bake correctly. Be sure to check on them often!

More Crinkle Cookies to Try!

• Lemon Crinkle Cookies
• Cranberry Orange Cookies
• Candy Cane Cookies

Oh, hello chewy, sweet, delicious perfect cookies. I tell ya, these Red Hot Crinkle Cookies are some of my very favorites EVER and you all are bound to love these too! Be sure to pin and print this one 🙂 You’re gonna luuuuuurve it!

Enjoy, friends! 🙂

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4.82 from 38 votes

Red Hot Cookies

Red Hot Cookies are sweet, spicy, chewy, basically perfect cookies. And they're just in time for Valentine's Day!

servings 24 cookies

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tablespoons Red Hots Candy crushed
• ▢ 1/2 cup Butter Softened
• ▢ 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 1 whole Egg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray, line with parchment paper or use silicone baking mat and set aside.
• Place Red Hots into a plastic food storage bag and crush using a rolling pin. Set aside.
  
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla and egg. Scrape sides and mix again.
  
• Stir all dry ingredients together in a small bowl and then in pour into mixer and slowly mix until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly.
  
• Stir in crushed candy. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
  
• Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
  
• *If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Red Hot Cookies