Name: Red velvet cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Makes 16-18
Ingredients: 175g soft salted butter; 200g light brown soft sugar; 100g caster sugar; 1 large egg; 2 tsp vanilla extract; ½-1 tbsp red food colouring gel, depending on strength; 225g plain flour; 25g cocoa powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 150g white chocolate chips or chunks; 2 tbsp soft cheese; 6 tbsp icing sugar

Red velvet cookies served on a wire tray

175g soft salted butter
200g light brown soft sugar
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
½-1 tbsp red food colouring
gel, depending on strength
225g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g white chocolate chips
or chunks

For the drizzle

2 tbsp soft cheese
6 tbsp icing sugar

Method

step 1
Beat the butter and sugars together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and food colouring until you have a bright red batter. Sieve over the flour, cocoa and bicarb. Fold everything together to make a stiff evenly-coloured dough, then fold in the chocolate chips.
step 2
Put the dough on a sheet of baking parchment, fold the parchment over the dough and mould into a sausage shape about 6cm wide. Chill until ready to bake. Will keep for a week in the fridge or one month in the freezer.
step 3
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the cookie dough into 1cm thick slices using a sharp knife and arrange on two large baking sheets lined with baking parchment well-spaced apart so they have room to spread in the oven. Bake in batches, keeping the unbaked cookies on the sheet in the fridge while the rest are baking.
step 4
Bake in the middle of the oven for 13-15 mins until the cookies are crisp at the edges, but still soft in the centre. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Beat the soft cheese in a small bowl to a loose consistency, then stir in the icing sugar. Use a piping bag or spoon to drizzle the icing over the cookies. Un-iced cookies keep for five days in an airtight container, or two days iced.