Red Velvet Cookie Cake

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, so the Christmas baking season is in full swing around here. I love baking treats to give away to family and friends. As I was trying to plan out my cookie baking schedule this year, I know I wanted to make something that looked festive — think red, white, and green! Red velvet immediately popped into my head, and the idea for this delicious cookie cake was born. 

I love making cookie cakes for a variety of reasons. First of all, you don’t have to roll out the dough into balls. Just press it into a cake pan or a springform pan, and you’re done. Also, they’re a lot of fun to decorate. As you can see in the pictures, I just made a decorative border with the cream cheese frosting, but you could absolutely write "Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” in the center!

While I’m on the topic of cream cheese frosting, I just want to point out that I used Challenge cream cheese and butter. My frosting was not as flavorful before I started using their products. The taste is superior because Challenge uses real cream, and there are no hormones, additives, or fillers.

Red Velvet Cookie Cake

Yield: Serves 10 to 12 people

Ingredients for the cookie

• 1 3/4 cup flour 
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Challenge butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons red food coloring

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting

• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup Challenge butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions for the cookie cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray springform pan with nonstick spray and set aside. If you don’t have a springform pan, a cake pan will also work.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat again. Add red food coloring — mixture should be vibrant red.
4. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Add dough to springform pan and use wax paper to press down the dough until the stop is smooth. Bake for about 18 to 22 minutes, or until the top is set and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Let cool before frosting

Directions for the frosting

1. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and evenly combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. If frosting isn’t thick enough, add a little more powdered sugar.
2. Once cookie cake has cooled, pipe frosting around the edges and decorate with sprinkles if desired.