This ain't no plain vanilla Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I'm gonna let the pictures of these red velvet chocolate chip cookies speak for themselves.

Are you listening, 'cause they are saying delicious slightly chewy chocolate chip cookies with a twist.

Yup these ain't no plain vanilla cookie, Oh yeah, I've added a little raspberry to them which I know is not traditional, but sometimes I'm just crazy like that ;)

Feel free to omit the raspberry. Your choice.

Hope you love them as much as I do.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes approx 20 cookies)

220g (7 and 3/4 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
40g (1 and 3/8oz) cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
115g (4oz) unsalted butter room temperature
100g  (3 and 1/2oz) white sugar (I used caster/ superfine sugar - use regular white if you can't find superfine)
100g  (3 and 1/2oz) brown sugar firmly packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp raspberry essence
1/4tsp red food colour
85g (3 oz) milk chocolate chips
85g (3 oz) white chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 160 C. Line 2 trays with baking paper (parchment paper).

Sift together the flour, baking powder (soda), salt and cocoa.

In a large bowl cream together the butter, white and brown sugar at high speed for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Reduce the speed to medium low and mix in the egg, vanilla, raspberry essence and food colour until combined.

Add the sifted flour mixture and mix at low speed until the mixture has just combined.

Using a spatula or large spoon mix in the white and milk chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Spoon dough onto the prepared trays about 1 1/2 Tbsp (2 US Tbsp) in size and flatten slightly.

Bake for around 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven allow to rest on trays for around 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

* I often add some extra white chips by removing the tray and gently pressing about 3 into the top of each cookie about 7 minutes into baking so they look good but don't over brown :)

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for at least 3 days.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.

Live love laugh and eat more cake New Years red velvet ruffle cake

These are my hands :)

WOW where did that year go?

I'm not really sure but I do feel like I did a lot this year and I've decided this coming year I'm gonna try and relax a little bit more.

and of course I made a cake to celebrate. Well actually I made this cake to match some dresses I bought the girls which are white and ruffled with a black velvet bow. I thought it would be cool to cut into the cake and have a contrasting cake so I used the red velvet cake recipe (double batch) from Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!
.

It was supposed to have some pretty glittery silver round decorations around the black ribbon 'flowers'. However they were not to be....on the morning I was finishing the cake I went to attach the extra decorations and they had been demolished by my 3 year old.

Which will obviously teach me to leave stuff in the kitchen instead of the 'out of bounds' cake room.

Live and learn.

Or then I decided in keeping with my new relaxation mantra it should be live, laugh, love.....and eat more cake. Who cares if the cake has silver glittery balls, I just squished up some extra black ruffles to fill the spaces and it tastes just as good.

To see the method I use to make my ruffle cakes CLICK HERE - just use all white ruffles on a tallish round cake and then make up some extra ruffles in black. Squish the ruffles together and arrange on top of half the cake and then twirl some of the ruffles up to make ribbon flowers and glue (with edible glue) the flowers cascading down the side of the cake.

now I'm off to relax, and maybe eat some cake.

Top 2 photos and photo below by Naomi V Photography
Girls dresses by Mischka Aoki Couture I bought mine at Raindrops and Roses
Red Velvet cake recipe from Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

Yup that's me with Bubble and Sweet