white wine + lemon cookies

by Amy on 15 March 2011

over the weekend, a dear friend from college + her husband had a housewarming party. this was super exciting because 1) they moved from 30+ minutes away from us to less than a mile away + 2) i had an excuse to cook + bake. she requested my tomato + goat cheese tarts, which are always a big hit + so easy to make, so i gladly complied.

while the onions were sauteeing for the tarts, i decided to whip up a quick batch of cookies. i looked around the kitchen to see what ingredients i had handy + aside from the usual cookie ingredients (flour, cocoa, peanut butter, nutella), i realized i also had some extra white wine hanging around. a quick google search revealed that you can, in fact, make white wine cookies. win!

the result? these cookies are fresh, springy + delicious. it was in the mid-70s + sunny for the party, so i knew something light + refreshing would be perfect. they worked well with the rest of the menu + were tasty without being heavy. when i make them again, i may try adding some fresh herbs into the batter, perhaps thyme or rosemary. these cookies are the perfect balance of sweet + savory, + are sure to please!

lemon + white wine cookies

makes about three dozen cookies, adapted from the basic art of italian cooking

ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup olive  oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tsps sugar for the top
3-4 cups flour
1 tsp grated lemon peel

directions

first, combine oil + sugar to make a creamy paste. add in wine. add in vanila + lemon peel, then blend in flour with hands, a little at a time, until a smooth ball is formed.

divide dough into small pieces of approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons each. using two spoons, shape the dough into a small quenelle shape. place on baking sheet llined with parchment paper + bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Ellen March 15, 2011 at 12:03 pm

What a cool idea! I have never tried wine cookies and can’t wait to give these a go!

2 amy March 15, 2011 at 1:06 pm

they’re very springy + light – i was actually just thinking that they’d be great for easter (if you’re looking for an easter dessert idea). =)

3 heather March 15, 2011 at 1:50 pm

The quenelle shape is very sweet. The wine biscuits I make are always in a ring; maybe I should branch away from the recipe for once. Did you dip them in a sweet, sipping wine? I can definitely see that as an option for Easter treats… for adults, of course!

Cheers,

*Heather*

4 amy March 15, 2011 at 3:04 pm

hi heather – the recipe actually did call for them to be ring-shaped (+ half dipped in granulated sugar). i went the quenelle-shape route simply because we were short on time + i knew the rings would take much longer. =) i also skipped the sugar-dip because i thought it would make them too sugary sweet. although dipping them in a sweet wine? i could definitely get behind that!

5 Traciwilbur March 15, 2011 at 6:56 pm

Yum! I’m seriously craving fresh and light these days. Going to add this recipe to Easter brunch menu right now, but I’ll definitely have to sample before then!

6 amy March 15, 2011 at 6:57 pm

these definitely said ‘easter’ to me once i made them. if light + fresh is what you’re craving these days, i think you’ll love ’em! also, feel free to play around with the shape. i made the little quenelle shape, but like heather said (above), you can do a ring shape, or a small round, etc. have fun! =)

7 Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet) March 15, 2011 at 6:58 pm

These look so good…I love lemony treats when the weather starts warming up! And I can vouch that rosemary and lemon go great together. When I first started my blog in summer, I made a lemon-rosemary cake with a lemon-glaze. The flavors combined very well in a baked product!!

8 amy March 15, 2011 at 7:15 pm

mmm, your cake sounds awesome! you know i’m not huge on super sweet sweets, so i love the idea of lemon/rosemary, lemon/thyme or even lemon/basil (another combination i love). + i agree – lemon is just so springy – i think i’ve started making lots of lemon-based things in the hopes that it’ll coax the warm weather to hang around. =)

9 Tracey @ KitchenPlayground April 16, 2011 at 8:55 am

I love baking with wine, and am always looking for new recipes with “spirited” combinations. I’ll definitely be trying these out. Thank you!

10 amy April 16, 2011 at 9:55 am

i love boozy baking, too – you’ll have to give these delicious, light cookies a try! also, i just saw the chardonnay butterscotch blondies on your blog. if you liked those, i bet you’ll love the butterscotch bourbon bars that i made a few months ago (if you like bourbon, that is). they were amazing!

11 Karen April 17, 2011 at 6:42 am

Very keen to try, but could you be more exact with the flour – a cup will make a big difference I suspect! Thanks :o)

12 amy April 17, 2011 at 8:26 am

hi Karen! i thought the same thing when i saw the original recipe. i believe that i used close to 3.5 cups, but i’ll measure more specifically next time I make them + let you know. i went more off feel of the dough than measurement, which wound up working out perfectly. will report back soon! =)

13 Gwen August 26, 2011 at 12:25 pm

I found your recipe last night when searching for something to bring to Wine & Cheese! They were fun to make, and were were a hit at the party. Thanks Amy!

14 amy August 26, 2011 at 12:28 pm

that’s awesome, gwen! so glad they were a hit + glad you had a fun time at the party. =)

15 Karen March 26, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Wish my cookies looked like yours! I just tried this and had issues with the quenelle shape. The batter keep separating so had a bumpy texture. I am not sure if this is because I had too much or too little flour. At first I thought that the texture with the lower amount of flour was too sticky and liquidy, but perhaps I should have stuck with that?

16 amy March 27, 2012 at 10:48 am

hi Karen! so sorry to hear that your cookies didn’t turn out well. =( if the batter was too sticky + liquidy, then you were right to add more flour. in terms of it separating, i’m not quite sure what would’ve caused that – i’ve never had that happen. i’ll make a note to remake these within the next few weeks + if i have any additional tips, i’ll send them your way!

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