Red velvet cookies usually require butter, eggs, and a longer ingredient list. I wanted the oversized, heavily frosted bakery-cookie look without building a complicated cookie dough, so I made the base with only three ingredients: red velvet cake mix, chocolate protein powder, and pumpkin puree.
The pumpkin replaces the oil and eggs normally added to cake mix. It keeps the cookies soft while the chocolate protein powder makes them thicker and adds most of the protein.
These are Crumbl-inspired in size and presentation, but I want to set the right expectation: they are soft, cake-style cookies rather than dense, buttery bakery cookies. They barely spread in the oven, so I shape them before baking and pull them while the centers are still soft.
The frosting is not a traditional cream cheese buttercream. I made a lighter cheesecake protein frosting with Cool Whip, nonfat yogurt, vanilla protein powder, and sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix. It is fluffy, tangy, and thick enough to pipe after chilling.
This batch made 8 large cookies, baked at 350°F for 13 minutes.
Estimated per frosted cookie when the full batch is divided into eight equal cookies. Nutrition varies with the cake mix, protein powders, yogurt, whipped topping, pudding mix, and amount of frosting used.
Tested Recipe Details
- Yield: 8 large cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 13 minutes
- Cooling and Frosting Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 58 minutes
- Oven Temperature: 350°F
- Cookie Base: Red velvet cake mix, chocolate protein powder, and pumpkin
- Frosting: Cool Whip cheesecake protein frosting
- Texture: Soft, moist, and cake-like
- Estimated Nutrition: 251 calories and 15 grams of protein per frosted cookie
- Important Step: Shape and flatten the dough before baking because the cookies do not spread much
Try These Next
- Red Velvet Protein Brownies (High-Protein Recipe)
- High Protein Brownie Cookies (High-Protein Recipe)
- Sugar Cake Protein Cookies (High-Protein Recipe)
Why You'll Love These Red Velvet Protein Cookies
- The cookie dough uses three ingredients: Cake mix, protein powder, and pumpkin are all you need for the base.
- Approximately 15 grams of protein each: The cookie dough and cheesecake frosting both contain protein powder.
- No oil or butter in the cookie dough: Pumpkin provides the moisture.
- Eight large cookies: They are substantial enough to feel like a real dessert.
- Crumbl-inspired presentation: Each cookie gets a thick swirl of chilled cheesecake frosting.
- No mixer required: The dough comes together with a bowl and spatula.
- Easy to customize for holidays: The red color works well for Valentine's Day, Christmas, birthdays, or a red velvet dessert table.
What Makes These Crumbl-Inspired?
The inspiration comes from the size, soft texture, and thick frosting swirl. A traditional bakery-style cookie is usually made with a butter-heavy dough that spreads in the oven and creates chewy or crisp edges. This dough behaves differently because pumpkin puree replaces the butter, oil, and eggs.
- Thick
- Soft through the center
- Moist from the pumpkin
- More cake-like than chewy
- Lightly chocolate-flavored
- Topped with a generous cheesecake frosting swirl
They do not taste exactly like a Crumbl cookie, and I would not call them a copycat. They are a lighter, high-protein version with the same oversized frosted-cookie idea.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Protein Cookies
- 215g red velvet cake mix, approximately half of a 15.25-ounce box
- 3 scoops chocolate protein powder, 140 calories and 25g protein per scoop
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) can pure pumpkin puree
Cheesecake Protein Frosting
- 4 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
- ¾ cup nonfat plain yogurt, approximately 170g
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar-free cheesecake instant pudding mix, approximately 14g
Ingredient Notes
Red Velvet Cake Mix
Cake mix gives the cookies their flour, sugar, red velvet flavor, and leavening. Measure out 215 grams rather than estimating half the box by sight.
Chocolate Protein Powder
Chocolate protein powder deepens the cocoa flavor and thickens the pumpkin-based dough. The tested powder contains 140 calories and 25 grams of protein per scoop. Nutricost is a budget-friendly suggested option, but texture and nutrition vary by product.
Pumpkin Puree
Use plain pumpkin puree, not sweetened pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin replaces the wet ingredients normally added to boxed cake mix and keeps the cookies soft.
Cool Whip
Cool Whip makes the cheesecake frosting light and fluffy. Let it thaw before folding it into the yogurt mixture.
Nonfat Yogurt
Yogurt gives the frosting a slight tang that helps it taste more cheesecake-like. If it is especially thin, the frosting may need the full chilling time.
Vanilla Protein Powder
The protein powder adds sweetness, vanilla flavor, and extra thickness to the frosting.
Sugar-Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix
Use instant pudding mix. It adds cheesecake flavor and helps the yogurt frosting thicken.
Why This Recipe Works
The cake mix already contains flour, sugar, cocoa, leavening, and red velvet flavor, so it gives the cookie dough most of what it needs.
Pumpkin supplies the moisture that would usually come from eggs and oil. Because pumpkin is thicker than water or milk, it creates a scoopable dough instead of turning the cake mix into a thin batter.
The chocolate protein powder absorbs some of that moisture and makes the dough sturdy enough to shape into eight large cookies. Because the dough does not contain creamed butter and sugar, flattening it before baking gives the cookies their finished shape.
The protein powder and pudding mix thicken the yogurt before the Cool Whip is folded in. Chilling gives those ingredients more time to absorb moisture and helps the frosting hold a soft swirl.
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Large cookie scoop
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Piping bag and large piping tip
Tools I Use for This Recipe
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How to Make High-Protein Red Velvet Cookies
1. Prepare the Oven and Baking Sheet
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the Dry Ingredients
Add the red velvet cake mix and three scoops of chocolate protein powder to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the protein powder is evenly distributed through the cake mix.
Pro Tip: Mixing the dry ingredients first prevents concentrated pockets of protein powder from baking into dry or chalky spots.
3. Add the Pumpkin
Add the entire can of pumpkin puree. Use a sturdy spatula to mix until no dry cake mix or protein powder remains. The dough should be thick, soft, and very sticky. It will look more like thick cake batter than traditional cookie dough.
4. Divide the Dough
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions on the prepared baking sheet. Each portion should weigh approximately 90 grams, although the final weight may vary slightly depending on the protein powder.
5. Shape and Flatten
Use damp hands or the back of a damp spoon to shape each portion into a round cookie. Flatten the cookies until they are approximately 3 to 3½ inches wide and about ½ inch thick. They will remain close to this shape while baking.
6. Bake
Bake at 350°F for 13 minutes. The edges should look set while the centers remain soft. If the centers still look like loose, visibly wet batter after 13 minutes, continue baking in 1- to 2-minute increments.
7. Cool
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack and cool for another 20 minutes. Do not frost warm cookies.
How to Make the Cheesecake Protein Frosting
1. Mix the Yogurt, Protein Powder, and Pudding Mix
Whisk the nonfat yogurt, vanilla protein powder, and sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix until smooth. Let the mixture rest for 3–5 minutes so the dry ingredients begin absorbing moisture.
2. Fold in the Cool Whip
Add the thawed Cool Whip and fold it gently into the yogurt mixture. Avoid beating aggressively because that can knock out the air and make the frosting thinner.
3. Chill and Frost
Cover and refrigerate the frosting for 20–30 minutes. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a large round or open-star tip and pipe it evenly over the eight completely cooled cookies. Keep the finished cookies refrigerated.
Expert Tips
- Measure the cake mix by weight. Box sizes can vary.
- Use pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices.
- Expect sticky dough. Damp hands make shaping easier.
- Flatten before baking. These cookies do not spread like butter-based cookies.
- Do not overbake them. Thirteen minutes was enough for the tested batch.
- Cool completely before frosting. Warm cookies will soften the topping.
- Mix the frosting in stages. Blend the yogurt, protein powder, and pudding mix first, then fold in the Cool Whip.
- Keep the frosting cold. This is a whipped yogurt topping, not shelf-stable buttercream.
Variations and Suggested Substitutions
These are suggested changes rather than individually tested versions. Results may vary by brand or product, and minor adjustments to moisture, timing, or texture may be needed.
- Use vanilla protein powder for a milder chocolate flavor.
- Use a sugar-free red velvet cake mix if available.
- Try Cool Whip Lite for a slightly lighter topping.
- Use nonfat Greek yogurt for a potentially thicker frosting.
- Use sugar-free vanilla pudding mix in place of cheesecake pudding mix.
- Make smaller cookies and begin checking before 13 minutes.
- Leave the cookies unfrosted for fewer calories.
- Use chocolate cake mix for a chocolate version.
Storage
Because the frosting contains Cool Whip and yogurt, store the finished cookies in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let one sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving if you do not want it refrigerator-cold.
For longer storage, freeze the unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then prepare and add the frosting. Do not microwave frosted cookies because the topping will melt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Taste the Pumpkin?
The red velvet cake mix and chocolate protein powder provide most of the flavor. The pumpkin is mainly there for moisture, although someone especially sensitive to pumpkin may notice a mild background flavor.
Why Didn't My Cookies Spread?
That is expected. Shape and flatten the dough before baking because it does not contain creamed butter, oil, or regular eggs.
Why Are the Cookies Cake-Like Instead of Chewy?
Cake mix, pumpkin, and protein powder naturally create a softer, more cake-like cookie. These are inspired by the oversized frosted-cookie format, but they do not have the dense, buttery texture of a traditional bakery cookie.
Can I Use a Different Protein Powder?
Yes, but protein powders absorb moisture differently. Another powder can make the dough thicker, softer, or drier than the tested version.
Why Is My Frosting Too Soft to Pipe?
The yogurt may be thinner, or the mixture may need more time in the refrigerator. Chill it for another 10–15 minutes and avoid overmixing the Cool Whip.
Do the Frosted Cookies Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes. The frosting contains yogurt and thawed whipped topping, so keep the cookies cold.
Can I Leave the Cookies Unfrosted?
Yes. The cookies are approximately 179 calories and 11 grams of protein each before frosting.
Are These Actual Crumbl Cookies?
No. They are Crumbl-inspired because they are oversized, soft, and topped with a thick frosting swirl. The ingredients and texture are different from a traditional butter-based bakery cookie.
Estimated Nutrition
Nutrition is always an estimate. Assuming eight cookies and the full frosting batch, each frosted cookie is approximately 251 calories, 15g protein, 36g carbohydrates, 5g fat, and 2g fiber.
Each unfrosted cookie is approximately 179 calories, 11g protein, 28g carbohydrates, and 2g fat. The exact values will change with the brands used and the amount of frosting left in the bowl.
You Might Also Like
- Orange Creamsicle Cookies (High-Protein Recipe)
- High-Protein Dunkaroo Dip
- Fruity Pebbles Protein Cake Pops
Final Thoughts
These red velvet protein cookies are a good example of why I like cake-mix shortcuts. The cookie base needs only red velvet cake mix, chocolate protein powder, and pumpkin, and the chilled cheesecake protein frosting gives them the oversized bakery-cookie look.
Keep the texture expectation realistic: they are soft, moist, cake-style cookies—not dense butter cookies. Shape them before baking, pull them after 13 minutes, let them cool completely, and keep the frosting cold. Tag @bakedlean if you make them.
BAKE THIS NEXT
High-Protein Red Velvet Cookies
Ingredients
- 215 g red velvet cake mix approximately half of a 15.25-ounce box
- 3 scoops chocolate protein powder 140 calories and 25g protein per scoop
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree approximately 425g; do not use pumpkin pie filling
- 4 ounces Cool Whip thawed
- 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt approximately 170g
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar-free cheesecake instant pudding mix approximately 14g
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Large cookie scoop
- Piping bag and large piping tip
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the red velvet cake mix and chocolate protein powder in a large bowl until evenly distributed.
- Add the pumpkin puree and stir until no dry cake mix or protein powder remains. The dough should be thick, soft, and sticky.
- Divide the dough into eight equal portions, approximately 90g each, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Use damp hands or the back of a damp spoon to shape each portion into a round cookie approximately 3 to 3 1/2 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake at 350°F for 13 minutes, until the edges look set and the centers remain soft. If the centers still look like visibly wet batter, continue baking in 1- to 2-minute increments.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack and cool for another 20 minutes.
- Whisk the nonfat yogurt, vanilla protein powder, and sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix until smooth.
- Let the yogurt mixture rest for 3–5 minutes so the protein powder and pudding mix can begin thickening it.
- Gently fold in the thawed Cool Whip until smooth. Do not beat aggressively.
- Cover and refrigerate the frosting for 20–30 minutes while the cookies finish cooling.
- Transfer the chilled frosting to a piping bag and pipe it evenly over the eight completely cooled cookies. Keep the finished cookies refrigerated.
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