Red Hots Cookies are delicate but chewy cinnamon flavored pink bites of nostalgia. You'll smash or grind up a partial box of Red Hots candies or Cinnamon Imperials in a food processor and mix them into the cookie dough.
Jump to:
Cinnamon Candy Cookies
I've been wanting to make Red Hots cookies since I started experimenting in the kitchen. Red Hots have been a favorite candy since I was a kid so turning them into cookies was a no-brainer.
Do you remember your childhood Valentine's Days? Did you ever get one of those paper hearts with a tiny box of Red Hots attached? Those were the best.
These cookies are easy to make. You're basically making a drop cookie, adding ground up cinnamon candies to the dough, then rolling the dough in powdered sugar or sanding sugar before baking them.
No food processor? Pour the candy into a sturdy resealable bag, lay the bag on a cutting board and smash it to bits with a rolling pin or a meat mallet.
If cinnamon is your love language, don’t stop here. You’ll also want to bake my Easy Cake Mix Snickerdoodles, Gingersnaps, Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies, Cinnamon Christmas Stars, or Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas cookies.
And if you bake a lot with a lot of spice, making your own homemade pumpkin pie spice, is a total power move.
Building a Valentine’s Day dessert table? Add Easy M&M cookies, Valentine's Day M&M bars or decadent chocolate brownie cookies or Peppermint Brownie Cookies to the line up.
And don’t skip Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies these are always a treat too.
Cinnamon Candy Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Egg
- Red Hots candy
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cream of Tartar
- Powdered sugar or sanding sugar for rolling
How to Grind Up Candy
Before you do anything, grind up the candy. You can either pound the candy in a resealable bag with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
Or grind them in a food processor or in a clean coffee bean grinder.
A small coffee bean grinder is perfect for quick grinding jobs like Red Hots, spices, and nuts. It’s one of my most-used kitchen shortcuts. I've got an older model of this grinder and love it.
How to Make Red Hots Cookies
Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer for three to five minutes.
Then you'll beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Mix in the crushed candy.
Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. No white streaks should remain.
Portion into balls, I like to use this #40 cookie scoop so they turn out the same size and bake evenly, then roll in powdered sugar and bake.
Storage & Make Ahead Tips
Store cinnamon cookies wrapped in wax paper or plastic wrap then place them in a tin or a resealable container.
These cookies will keep on a counter top for up to three days.
For longer storage, freeze cookies. Wrap balls of cookie dough in a wax paper or plastic wrap then tuck into a freezer safe container.
Freeze cookie dough for up to three months.
How to freeze cookie dough might be helpful.
Cookie Baking Advice
You may find these baking posts helpful: from How to Avoid Flat Cookies, How to Freeze Cookie Dough, Room Temperature Butter for Baking to Salted or Unsalted Butter for Cookies? to Do I Need A Cookie Scoop?, Cookie Size Chart to What Should a Beginner Bake? to Where Can I Buy Sprinkles?, Why is my sugar cookie dough too sticky? and Cookie Holidays. What is Sanding Sugar and Do I need Parchment Paper? might also be helpful. This Cuisinart 5-speed is my favorite hand mixer. Why do my hand mixer beaters fall out? Cookie dough freezes great as do already baked cookies but find out what other desserts you can freeze.
PIN TO SAVE FOR LATER
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Kitchen Serf.
Recipe
Red Hots Cookies
Red Hots Cookies are delicate but chewy cinnamon flavored pink colored bites of deliciousness. You'll smash or grind up in a food processor a partial box of Red Hots candies or Cinnamon Imperials, which will go into the cookie dough.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup unsalted butter (one stick)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup crushed Red Hots candy
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Crush or grind cinnamon candies, such as Red Hots or Brach's Cinnamon Imperials using a food processor or a mallet until no whole pieces of candy remain. Tiny chunks of candies are okay. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer for three to five minutes.
Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Mix in the crushed candy.
Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. No white streaks should remain.
Portion dough into one-inche balls using a teaspoon or a cookie scoop. I use a #40.
Roll in powdered sugar.
Bake 12 cookies at a time on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350°F for approximatedly 12 minutes.
Oven temperatures vary so be sure to check the cookies before the timer is up.
Let rest on a cookie sheet until cool.
Notes
These cookies do spread a bit so be sure to space them two inches apart. You should be able to bake 12 cookies at a time on a half-sheet pan.
Recommended Products
This post and/or recipe may contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I'll earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure policy.
Nutrition Information
Yield 32 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 78Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 13mgSodium 65mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 0gSugar 7gProtein 1g
Nutrition information is an estimate as I am not a registered dietitian.
Comments
No Comments