Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies
These Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies deliver the same rich, chocolate flavor you love in red velvet cake or cupcakes, but in an easy, homemade cookie. Made with fresh milled flour and sourdough, these cookies taste deeply chocolatey and feel perfectly balanced. White chocolate chips add just the right sweetness. Meanwhile, beet root powder gives them a classic red velvet color without artificial food dyes. The cookies bake up slightly crisp on the edges with a soft, chewy center. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, parties, or special occasions, these festive red velvet cookies make a beautiful and wholesome dessert.
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Jump to RecipeWhy Fresh Milled Flour?
Fresh milled flour keeps the entire wheat berry intact, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. This means it delivers naturally occurring fiber, healthy fats, and essential nutrients in every bake. When you mill flour fresh, you preserve B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium that disappear during commercial processing.
By using fresh milled flour, you support digestion, steady energy, and overall wellness — not just empty calories.
I have the NutriMill Classic. I use mine several times a week and have had no issues in over two years. It is a great, affordable grain mill.
Why Use Sourdough?
Sourdough fermentation actively breaks down complex carbohydrates and reduces phytic acid in the grain. This process helps your body absorb minerals more easily and improves digestion. The natural bacteria and wild yeast in sourdough also slow down how quickly your body processes carbohydrates, which supports balanced blood sugar.
Sourdough adds depth of flavor while improving the structure and texture of baked goods. When you combine sourdough with fresh milled flour, the two work together to create baked goods that taste better and feel more nourishing.
How to Make Your Own Brown Sugar:
A simple way to make your own brown sugar is to mix cane sugar (or regular granulated) with molasses. I use 200 grams (1 cup) grams organic cane sugar to 20 grams molasses (1 tbsp). You can adjust this to how dark you want your sugar. I like the Golden Barrel brand, and have used both the baking molasses or the blackstrap molasses. Both are delicious, the blackstrap has a stronger flavor though. I personally love the Blackstrap flavor. You can hand mix it, but it does take a while to incorporate it. I bulk make it, so I fill my Bosch and use the wire whips to mix it up in a few minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Soft white wheat – soft white wheat is ideal for cookies, but hard wheat should work too
- Cocoa Powder – I use organic unsweetened cocoa powder from Azure
- Baking soda
- Salt – I use pink himalayan salt, but any salt will work
- Beet root powder – a natural alternative for a beautiful red color
- Butter – softened to room temperature
- Brown sugar – see above for how to make your own brown sugar
- Cane sugar – you can also use regular granulated sugar
- Egg
- Sourdough starter – active or discard. This is optional but I love the flavor and nutritional benefits it adds. Simply omit if you do not want to add it.
- Vanilla – I love my homemade vanilla extract!
- White chocolate chips – Milk or dark chocolate chips work too, I just love the beautiful pop of color!
Equipment/Ingredients I Use
- Grain Mill
- Bosch Mixer
- Sheet Pan w/ lid – I love this set that comes with lids for an easy fridge ferment
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop – I like this set, the medium is my normal cookie size. The large for jumbo and small for mini cookies.
- Beet Root Powder
- Golden Barrel Molasses
Making Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies
Prepare the Dry Ingredients
Start by milling your flour. Soft white wheat works best for these cookies. Next, add the freshly milled flour to a bowl. Then whisk in the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and beet root powder. Mix gently until everything looks evenly combined. Set the dry ingredients aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room-temperature butter and both sugars. Cream them together on medium speed for about two minutes. The mixture should look light and fluffy. Next, add the egg, sourdough starter, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue mixing for two to three minutes, until the dough looks smooth, soft, and well blended.
Combine the Dough
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while the mixer runs on low speed. Add the flour mixture slowly to prevent overmixing. Stop mixing when the flour is just incorporated. Overmixing at this stage can create dense cookies. After that, pour in the white chocolate chips. Stir them in gently by hand to keep the cookie dough tender.
Chill the Dough
Next, scoop the cookie dough using a cookie scoop. Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet with a lid. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. Chilling helps the cookies hold their shape. For a longer sourdough ferment and deeper flavor, refrigerate the dough overnight. If you prefer to roll the cookies by hand, chill the dough for 30 minutes first to make shaping easier.
Bake the Cookies
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then place the chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared sheets, spacing them at least two inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should look set and slightly crisp, while the centers remain soft.
Finally, remove the baking sheets from the oven. Let the Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies cool on the pan for five minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Making Cookies in Advance
For a longer ferment, cover the cookie balls and place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days. This allows the sourdough to develop more flavor and supports easier digestion.
To freeze for later, flash freeze on a pan, then transfer to a freezer bag to bake later. I really like these pans with lids for flash freezing or fermenting in the refrigerator. When ready to bake simply place them on a pan straight from the fridge or freezer and bake. If baking from frozen you may need to add 5 minutes to the bake time.
Tips for Perfect Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies
Use room-temperature ingredients – Soft butter blends more easily and creates a smoother dough.
Chill the dough before baking – Chilling helps the cookies hold their shape and improves texture.
Watch the bake time closely – Remove the cookies when the edges feel set but the centers still look soft. While baking, the cookies will puff up. Once they cool, the cookies will flatten.
Store properly for best texture – Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies
Ingredients
- 180 grams soft white wheat 1 1/2 cup
- 30 grams cocoa powder 1/4 cup
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp beet root optional, add till desired color
- 113 grams butter 1/2 cup
- 150 grams brown sugar 3/4 cup
- 50 grams cane sugar 1/4 cup
- 1 egg
- 125 grams sourdough starter 1/2 cup
- 6 grams vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp
- 255 grams white chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups
Instructions
Dry Ingredients
- Start with milling your flour.
- Gently whisk together the soft white wheat, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and beet root powder. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients
- In a mixer cream room temperature butter and sugars together, for about 2 minutes, at medium speed.
- Add egg, sourdough starter, and vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. Mix for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is soft and fluffy.
Combine
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture while the mixer is stirring at low speed. Stop mixing when the flour is just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix, otherwise, the cookies will be dense.
- Pour in the white chocolate chips and stir in by hand.
- I like to scoop the dough with a cookie scoop, then refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes before baking. For a longer ferment, refrigerate overnight. If shaping the cookies by hand, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes first for easier rolling.
Bake
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the shaped cookie balls at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies at 350° for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and the center is just soft.
- Allow the Dye-Free Red Velvet Cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
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