Just for Fun: Shortcut Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Cookies

Do you ever have one of those nights where you just need something sweet? Like, you can't concentrate on anything else until you've satisfied your sweet tooth?

We had one of those nights tonight.

We made tacos for dinner and they were so spicy and savory that we were both scouring the kitchen for something sugary afterward. Well, sometimes I have too much grocery shopping will power for my own good! No frozen yogurt. No Girl Scout Cookies. Not even any chocolate Special K. What to do?

Remember when I made that red velvet puppy chow for Valentine's Day last month? Well, I only used half the bag of cake mix and I found a few chocolate chips in the pantry so... ta-da! Red Velvet cake mix cookies. This is a really great shortcut recipe if you need to bake in a bind. The recipe only calls for a few ingredients and they are all pretty basic items that you probably have in your kitchen right now. They bake quickly and the resulting cookies were a million times better than I expected-- rich and doughy cookies with tons of red velvet flavor and a hit of melty chocolate.

Enjoy these the next time your sweet tooth gets the best of you!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 box Red Velvet Cake Mix *I used Duncan Hines
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cake mix, egg, butter, and lemon juice.  Mix well until fully combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by the Tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 3-5 minutes and then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack.

Makes about 1 dozen cookies.