Red Velvet Heart-Shaped Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup plant-based butter, salted or unsalted (add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt if using unsalted), softened at room temperature

1/2 cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature

1 cup natural sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon liquid vegan red food coloring (or the equivalent food coloring paste)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 to 6 tablespoons non-dairy milk

1 cup plant-based chocolate chips or chunks, melted in 30-second intervals, whisking until smooth

Plant-based sprinkles

Optional: generous 1 1/2 cups plant-based cream cheese frosting

Directions:

In bowl of electric mixer, cream butter, Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, and sugar until fluffy and sugar is mostly dissolved. Add baking soda dissolved in vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring and fully incorporate into batter on low speed. Stir together flour and cocoa powder and add in thirds, alternating with milk. Dough should be pliable but stiff. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats (Silpat). Divide dough into fourths and roll out between parchment paper until 1/4-inch thick. Cut into heart shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter and transfer with a thin spatula to prepared pan, about an inch apart. Re-roll scraps, cut-out, and continue until all dough has been used. If desired, use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out center of half or all the cookies. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until firm and no longer shiny. Cool completely on wire rack.

Dip edges of cookies into melted chocolate, return to baking sheets, and decorate chocolate edges with sprinkles. Or spread each of 12 cookies with a generous tablespoon plant-based cream cheese frosting, top each with one of the remaining cookies and press gently, dip edges into melted chocolate, return to baking sheets, and decorate chocolate edges with sprinkles. Refrigerate until serving time or store in airtight containers in refrigerator.

*Created exclusively for Tofutti Brands, Inc. by Betsy DiJulio of The Blooming Platter.