Crushed Red Velvet Cookies

Happy New Year! If you're looking for a fun and tasty holiday treat, these cookies may fit the bill. While visiting Pittsburgh, I discovered that Panera Bread had released a new holiday cookie, the Red Velvet Crinkle. I was fascinated with it as I've come late to the red velvet band wagon. It was very yummy, especially with the cream cheese chips, though a bit too crunchy for my liking. I scoured the net for a similar recipe and found this one from a website/blog called Granbaby Cakes and another from Cooking Classy. Success! What I came up with is a loose combination of the two.

Crushed Red Velvet Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp red food coloring
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, if desired
Apprx. 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Beat in food coloring.

Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in nuts and chips.

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a prepared cookie sheet, spaced about 1 1/2"-2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until no longer moist to the touch.

Let rest for a minute on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack. Let cool slightly (room temperature is your goal) before dusting with powdered sugar.

Makes 2-3 dozen