Red Velvet Snickerdoodle Brookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: African American, North American, Soul Food

Keyword: brownies, cookies

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 12

chilling time: 20

Total Time: 42

Servings: cookies

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

This decadent mashup of fudgy red velvet brownies and buttery snickerdoodle cookies is going to wow you.

Print Recipe

Equipment

2 half-sheet pans
2 silicone baking mats
electric hand mixer

Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (60 grams) dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) red food coloring
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vanilla extract
1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder

For the Snickerdoodle Cookies

3/4 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 grams) cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda

For the Cinnamon Sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (1 grams) ground cinnamon

Instructions

Mix, then Chill the Red Velvet Brownie Batter

Melt the butter in a 2 or 3-quart pot over medium heat.
Once the butter melts, use a rubber spatula to stir the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into the melted butter in the pot. Heat the mixture for 1 minute. The sugar will make the mixture gritty, and it will look like thick mud.
Remove the pot from the stove and allow the cocoa mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, add one egg, the red food coloring, and vanilla to the mixture in the pot. Start mixing these in with your rubber spatula slowly.
Once the first egg is fully incorporated, stir the second egg in to combine.
After mixing the second egg in, the mixture should look glossy and smooth.
After the chocolate is glossy, add the all-purpose flour and baking powder to a flour sifter.
Sift the dry ingredients into the pot and use your rubber spatula to stir the dry into the chocolate mixture until no streaks of flour are visible.
When finished, the mixture should be very thick, like muffin batter.
Cover the pot, or scrape the batter into a storage container and refrigerate it for 20 minutes to give the butter in it time to firm up.

Prepare the Snickerdoodle Dough While the Brownies Chill

Using a hand mixer, blend the sugar, butter, and salt together in a mixing bowl on medium speed.
Add the egg once the mixture forms a pale yellow, slightly-gritty paste.
Blend the egg into the butter-sugar mixture on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl at least 2 times during the beating process.
Once the butter and sugar are light, fluffy, and very pale yellow, scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Add the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda to a flour sifter, then sift the ingredients into the bowl with the butter and sugar mixture.
Blend the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture with the mixer on low. When streaks of flour are no longer visible, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Continue mixing, at low speed, for another 30 to 45 seconds, or until the dough is smooth and thick.
Cover the bowl of dough and refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes or longer.

Make the Cinnamon Sugar

Use a whisk or a fork to stir the sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small mixing bowl.

Form, the Bake the Red Velvet Snickerdoodle Brookies

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two sheet pans with silicone baking mats.
Remove only the bowl containing the snickerdoodle cookie dough from the fridge.
Use a #70 portion scoop to scoop up the snickerdoodle cookie dough onto the silicone mat-lined sheet pan, then roll the balls of dough between the palms of your hands to form them into smooth balls.
Roll the first 12 cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar to coat them completely. And arrange them on the empty sheet pan.
Keep the other balls of dough on the first separate sheet pan or a separate tray.
Once the first 12 balls of snickerdoodle dough are covered, remove the bowl red velvet brownie batter from the fridge.
Clean, then use the same portion scoop to scoop the red velvet brownie batter balls. Put the brownie balls right next to their snickerdoodle partner.
Grab the softer ball of brownie batter and roll it between the palms of your hands.
Pick up the cinnamon-dusted snickerdoodle ball and mash the two together. Roll the new mixture together to form a yin and yang dough ball.
The snickerdoodle ball may try to separate from the brownie because of the sugar crystals. Just press them together while rolling them to make them stick.
Set the balls on the sheet pan.
Bake the brookies in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 12 minutes.
While the first batch bakes, sugar, roll, and mash the subsequent batches of dough.
After the 12-minute baking time, remove the pan of cookies from the oven.
Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for 1 minute before using a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
Enjoy the red velvet snickerdoodle brookies while warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

If you use replace the dutch-processed cocoa powder with natural cocoa powder, the likelihood of the brownie being puffier than the snickerdoodle is higher.
You can replace the red food dye with natural food dye.
If you omit the red food coloring altogether, the brownies will be plain chocolate.
You can use 1/4 cup of bottled cinnamon sugar from the store for this recipe.

Tips and Techniques:

You can make this cinnamon sugar a month ahead and store it in a mason jar or airtight container in the pantry.
Even if I bake all 3 dozen (and their plus one), I only roll the first dozen in the cinnamon sugar. I wait until the first pan of cookies is in the oven before rolling the remaining batches.
You're going to have a bit more red velvet brownie mix than snickerdoodle dough. Just scoop a bit heavy on the last dozen, and it should even itself out. You can also bake the red velvet brownie cookies by themselves.
The one minute of cooling on the sheet pan gives the brookies a chance to set and firm up.
The brookies taste better when eaten soon after baking. Our trick is to nuke them in the microwave for 15 seconds to give them that freshly baked taste.

Storage Instructions:

To freeze the prepared brownie batter:
1. Transfer it to a freezer-safe storage container and freeze it for 3 months.
2. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and use it as instructed below.
To freeze the raw snickerdoodle dough:
1. Put the dough in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
2. Thaw the dough completely in the fridge before scooping. You can also freeze the snickerdoodle cookie dough after scooping and forming them into balls.
You can freeze the red velvet snickerdoodle brookie balls after rolling them.
1. Freeze them uncovered until solid. Transfer the brookie balls to a storage container and freeze them for up to 2 months.
2. Thaw them in the fridge or bake them from frozen. More than likely, you'll have to re-dip the snickerdoodle portion in more cinnamon sugar after thawing them. The sugar crystals are bound to melt from the condensation.
3. If you're baking them from frozen, add an additional 2 minutes to the baking time.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
You can freeze the red velvet snickerdoodle brookies if you don't think you'll eat them within 4 days:
1. Pack the cooled brookies into a freezer storage bag then put the bag in an airtight container. You can also pack the brookies in a container and wrap the container in plastic wrap.
2. Freeze the brookies for 2 months.
3. Thaw them, uncovered, at room temperature to avoid making them soggy with condensation.

To Make Snickerdoodle Cookies:

Follow the same process for the snickerdoodle cookies, but bake them on their own after rolling in the cinnamon sugar (same time, same temp).

To Make Red Velvet Brownies:

This recipe won't make terribly thick brownies because it's only a half-batch.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease an 8 x 8-inch square pan with baking spray.
Prepare the red velvet brownie batter as instructed, but you don't have to chill it. Scrape the batter into the pan.
Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes. The center will be slightly fudgy after baking.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the brownies to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before cutting.

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