These red hot cookies combine a tender and sweet sugar crinkle cookie with little bites of spicy red hot candies. There is so much flavor in just one cookie that they are bound to be a hit with your entire family. Simply stir the crushed cinnamon candies into the sugar cookie dough, roll them in granulated and powdered sugar, and then pop them in the oven.
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Sugar Cookies With Red Hots Candies
As much as I love classic cookie recipes, I'm a huge fan of truly unique cookies (in flavor and appearance). These red-hot cookies hit the spot in my craving for bold yet satisfying treats.
They start as a simple sugar cookie, then add some crushed cinnamon candy and coat them in both granulated and powdered sugar.
The result is a sweet, tender cookie that explodes with tiny bits of zesty cinnamon-packed flavor!
🥘 Ingredients
These cookies have a sugar cookie base with spicy cinnamon candies mixed in! Therefore, you'll need some staple baking ingredients and one standard-sized candy box.
Red Hot Cookies
- Butter - ½ cup of unsalted room temperature butter.
- Sugar - ¾ cup of white granulated sugar.
- Egg - 1 large egg, room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract - 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
- Cream of Tartar - 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.
- Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Baking Soda - ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt. If you are using salted butter, reduce this to only a pinch.
- Flour - 1 ⅔ cups of all-purpose flour measured using the spoon and level method.
- Red Hots - ¼ cup of Red Hots™ candy, crushed. You can crush these by placing them into a ziplock bag and whacking them with a rolling pin. If you want to emphasize the flavor of the candy, you can up the amount to ½ cup.
Sugar For Rolling
- Sugar - ¼ cup of white granulated sugar.
- Confectioners' Sugar - ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Red Hot Cookies
Another bonus to these amazing cookies is how incredibly easy they are to make! You'll want an electric mixer, a baking sheet, and measuring spoons.
When done, you will have 2 dozen cookies, perfect for gifting or serving!
Mix the Red Hot Cookie Dough
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream. Using an electric mixer, cream together ½ cup of butter and ¾ cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Mix. Add 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt, and mix until well combined. *Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour. Gradually add 1⅔ cups of all-purpose flour in small increments, mixing only until the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the dough. Then, stir in ¼ cup of crushed red hots candy with a silicone spatula.
Portion, Roll, & Bake The Cookies
- Roll. Place the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar and ¼ cup of powdered sugar into two different bowls. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop a ball of cookie dough and then roll it in your hand until round.
- Coat in sugar. Roll the dough ball in the granulated sugar, followed by the powdered sugar, until completely coated. Then, place the ball on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between the cookies.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes or until the centers have set and no longer look melted or wet.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
These yummy cookies are great for any occasion (but look perfect for Valentine's Day!) No matter when you make them, they will surely be a hit with everyone who tries them! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Crushing Red Hots: To crush Red Hots candy, place them in a zip-top storage bag and use a rolling pin or heavy skillet to smash them. Covering the bag with a kitchen towel before crushing can help contain any mess.
- Preventing Powdered Sugar Melting: For a lasting powder sugar coating on your cookies, first roll the dough in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar. This technique prevents the powdered sugar from melting during baking.
- Intensifying Candy Flavor: If you desire a stronger candy flavor in your cookies, double the amount of crushed Red Hots used in the recipe.
- Storing: Place any leftover cookies in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 6 days.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
The common culprit of flat cookies is either using too much butter (or not enough flour) or not using butter that is the correct temperature. You want butter that is room temperature, not melted. If your butter is too warm, it will melt too quickly in the oven and cause flat cookies.
Red Hots are small, red candy that is semi-hard. They are packed with a spicy cinnamon flavor that is oh-so-good!
Yep! These cookies freeze surprisingly well, so it is easy to make them ahead of time! I like to freeze them before they have been baked. To do so, simply follow the recipe as written, but skip putting them in the oven. Instead, place the baking sheet into the freezer until the dough balls are frozen. Then, you can transfer them to a ziptop storage bag and keep them frozen for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, pop them in the oven straight from frozen and add a minute or two to the baking time.
🍪 More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Lucky Charms Cookies - Sweet cookies are packed with marshmallows and then topped off with cereal, milk, buttercream, and extra cereal.
- Pistachio Pudding Cookies - These cookies use pudding mix as a secret ingredient.
- Mexican Pralines - Part candy and part cookie, these caramel-flavored treats are completely addicting.
- Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies - Classic peanut butter cookie dough is swirled with hazelnut spread and then topped off with some more.
- Cowboy Cookies - Extra large, chewy, and hearty cookies are chock full of tons of different mix-ins.
- Matcha Cookies - Vibrant green cookies capture all of the flavors of green tea.
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📖 Recipe Card
Red Hot Cookies
Ingredients
Red Hot Cookies
- ½ cup butter (unsalted, softened, at room temperature)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt (reduce to a pinch if using salted butter)
- 1⅔ cup all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled)
- ¼ cup Red Hots (crushed)
For Rolling
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using your stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined. *Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add in the all-purpose flour in small increments, mixing only until the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the dough. Then, stir in the crushed red hots candy with a silicone spatula.
- Place the remaining granulated sugar and the powdered sugar into two separate bowls. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop a ball of cookie dough and then roll it in your hand until round.
- Roll the ball of dough in the granulated sugar followed by the powdered sugar until completely coated. Then, place the ball on the prepared baking sheet making sure to leave about 2 inches of space between the cookies.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes or until the centers have set and no longer look melted or wet.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Crush your red hots candy by placing them into a zip-top storage bag and using a rolling pin or heavy skillet to smash them. Placing a kitchen towel over the plastic bag will help to reduce the chance of a mess.
- Rolling the dough in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar will keep the powdered sugar from melting off the cookies during baking.
- If you want to emphasize the flavor of the candy, you can always double the amount of crushed red hots!
- To store: Place any leftover cookies in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 6 days.
Linda says
Good. Doubled batch but still added more crushed candies. Topped cookie balls with a few more candies. Used greased cookie sheet with no problems. Baked 11-13 min on insulated sheet. Dough is very stiff but balls flattened well.