Since we eat with our eyes as much as our mouths, there’s a lot of power in adding some color to your food. And no color is more vibrant than a deep, rich red. Be it a dazzling raspberry sorbet or a warm strawberry cobbler; it’s one of the most stunning and naturally occurring colors around. I know blue might be my favorite when it comes to clothes, but it screams chemicals when it’s in food. And though you can get some truly Insta-worthy peaches and mangoes, they don’t stand out quite like a hot-rod red berry! Worried about artificial coloring in your red velvet cake? Don’t be! Get yourself some organic beet powder for a lovely red hue without the unpronounceable additives. Everyone will flip for these easy red desserts!
1. Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
Obviously, most of these recipes are perfect for Valentine’s Day desserts. Red means romance, after all! But they’re also great for pretty much any occasion. These cookies are thick, chewy, vibrant, and I just love the cracked effect on the top. If you don’t need to express your love, a few white chocolate chips scattered over the top would be the perfect way to add contrast. Gel food coloring is always preferred when making red velvet because it’s much stronger and won’t water down your mix. These plant-based gels are my go-to!
2. Raspberry Sorbet
Everyone will light up the minute you bring out a tray of this raspberry sorbet. It’s fragrant, fresh, and about as pure as it gets. I don’t mind having seeds in my sorbet, but if you want it smooth, you’ll need to strain the raspberries with a fine mesh strainer. This can take a little while. Of course, you can also buy frozen raspberry puree in most grocery stores, and they come pre-strained.
3. Strawberry Dump Cake
Did you go overboard at the farmer’s market this weekend? Me too! How can anyone resist those big, plump, juicy strawberries? One of my favorite ways to use them up is to make strawberry pie filling. Once you have that, just pour over some boxed cake mix and sliced butter, and let the oven do its magic.
4. Red Velvet Cookie Cake
If you thought those cookies from above sounded good: you’re going to love this! I’m a big cookie lover, and if there’s a plate out in front of me, I’ll snack away like they’re French fries! So you can imagine how dangerous this baby is in my house! Still, it’s too good not to make. Feel free to leave out the white chocolate chips or swap them for semi-sweet if you prefer. But the cream cheese frosting is a must!
5. Cherry Sorbet
Raspberry sorbet is very bright and almost fuchsia pink in color. This cherry version is a deep, sultry red that’s more understated but just as bold. Where the raspberry is tart and sweet, this has a more subtle sour flavor, and the cherry taste is so much more natural than any candy you might eat. If it’s just for the adults, why not throw in a touch of cherry brandy?
6. 5-Minute Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Want that fruity flavor with a bit of creaminess to boot? Then you’ll have to try this strawberry frozen yogurt recipe! Since strawberries don’t have as many seeds, you can blitz them down with honey, yogurt, and lemon juice without strain anything. It’s vital to start with frozen berries! If you’re using fresh, be sure to leave them in the freezer until they’re solid.
7. No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake
Nothing is prettier than a slice of clean white cheesecake with stunning raspberry swirls. That said, adding the puree to the cream cheese mix will make the whole thing subtly pink and very tasty. I would still add the extra reduction to the top for added drama. Or maybe just top the whole thing with dark chocolate shavings.
8. Strawberry Cobbler Recipe
There’s nothing quite like a dish full of bubbling fruit cobbler. The top should be golden and slightly crunchy, and you should always see the fruit peeking around the edges. Remember that strawberry pie filling I mentioned before? This would be the perfect way to use that up. If you’re in a rush, you can just as easily mix up chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. It will become thick and juicy as the whole dish bakes.
9. How to Make Strawberry Glaze
Glaze, jam, compote: no matter what you call it, this is sweet, colorful, and something you need in the fridge! Made using strawberries, sugar, and vanilla, this super simple, thick glaze is pureed and mixed with extra chopped strawberries for texture. When cooked and cooled, it goes perfectly over pancakes, with a slice of pound cake, or over some warm, buttery biscuits with whipped cream.
10. Cherry Bars
If you’re anything like me, you have a few tins of pie filling in the cupboard for a rainy day. You know, for when that sweet craving hits and you just need something now! The beauty of this recipe is that you’ll only need pantry essentials – flour, butter, and powdered sugar – to make the base. It’s a light and straightforward shortbread that acts as a buttery base. Once that’s pressed onto a baking dish, it needs to be baked until golden. Then, just pour over your pie filling (any flavor you want) and enjoy.
11. Red Velvet Cupcakes
Full disclosure: I’ve made and ruined more red velvet cupcakes than I can count! It took me a while to find a recipe I liked, and that actually worked. Some had too much cocoa, and others came out dry, no matter how little I cooked them. This one is soft, moist, perfectly flavored, and wonderfully light. It’s all in the ingredients! It has butter for richness and moisture, baking soda and vinegar for lift, and unsweetened cocoa for that signature taste.
12. Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake
Here’s another lightning-fast recipe you can make with what you have in the cupboard. Bisquick is something you should always have on hand, whether it’s for muffins, banana bread, or some quick mid-afternoon biscuits. Have some strawberry glaze left over? Go ahead and spoon it right over as they come out of the oven. If not, just mix some chopped berries with a touch of sugar and let it sit while the biscuits cook.
13. Raspberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
Looking for something sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, and fruity? This recipe ticks every box and then some! You’ll start with a wickedly fun layer of crushed (not too much) pretzels. It’s kind of like a cheesecake base, so you’ll mix in melted butter and sugar to help it stick. Next comes a lovely light cheesecake layer made with sweetened cream cheese, lemon juice, and Cool Whip. Lastly, you’ll pour over raspberry Jell-O with real raspberries mixed inside. Let it set for a few hours in the fridge, and it’s ready to devour.
14. Red Velvet Cake Balls
Cake truffles will never go out of style in my house. I make them every time I have leftover cake and every holiday season. These are especially great for the holidays given their color, but they also make fabulous treats year-round. In fact, if you cover them with white chocolate and stripe over some melted blue chocolate melts, you’ll have a fantastic Independence Day dessert.
15. The Best Red Velvet Churros
Churros are usually crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and served warm with lots of cinnamon sugar and melted chocolate for dipping. These might not have a cinnamon sugar coating, but they do have the same look and texture, and they are dusted with regular sugar when warm. Want to be a little extra? Serve them with some warmed Nutella. You can thank me later.
16. Peppermint Marshmallows
If you’ve never made marshmallows before, have no fear. They’re not as difficult as you think. You do need a candy thermometer and to handle hot sugar syrup. It all starts with gelatine and water. Combine those and let them marry in your stand mixer. Next, you’ll make the sugar syrup, which is as easy as putting sugar, corn syrup, and water in a pot and letting it boil. Use a candy thermometer and keep an eye on it. It’ll be slow at first, but once it gets close, you’ll be surprised at how fast it can burn. Now, for the fun part! Turn the mixer on to medium (with the whisk attachment) and slowly stream the sugar into the gelatin. It will whip up much like egg whites and should turn thick, glossy, and perfect after about 10-12 minutes.
17. Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
Move over hot chocolate – there’s a new favorite winter warmer in town! Not only is this gorgeous to look at with a creamy and very accurate flavor, but it also has a delicious, light cream cheese whipped cream that’s just awesome. I think it’s worth the extra step of adding cream cheese to the drink itself. It’s more about texture for me since you get that creamy tang in the whipped cream. Either way, it’s scrumptious.
18. Strawberry Cheesecake Puffs
These creamy, fruity, flaky cheesecake puffs are great for breakfast, brunch, or mid-afternoon coffee. When buying frozen puff pastry, I highly recommend going for a brand name. It’s genuinely amazing the difference it makes, and since these are getting split in half, you’ll want them nice and puffy, not thin and sad. Again, feel free to swap out the fruit in these. I’ve used blueberry a few times with added lime zest in the cream cheese. So yummy!
19. Easy Cherry Cobbler
Do you like your cobbler crust thick, thin, crunchy, or crumbly? There are so many variations, and it’s all a matter of personal choice. What I love about this cobbler is that it’s kind of made in reverse. You’ll make the batter for the top, which goes in the baking dish first. Then you pour the fruit on top. As it bakes, the fruit sinks, and the batter bakes and rises, infusing it with fantastic flavor and magically winding up on top.
20. Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
Classic whoopie pies are made with chocolate sandwich cookies and a dreamy vanilla filling. But these are even better! The cookies are so soft and tender; they’re closer to little cakes when they melt in your mouth. Still, they hold their shape, which is vital when you add in that velvety cream cheese frosting. Since the cookies are so tender, I like to keep these pretty small, which just means I get to eat two instead of just one! Click on a star to rate it!
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