‘Tis The Season For Cookies, Cabernet & Chardonnay
Milk and cookies are a beloved combo for a reason, but sometimes it’s fun to sip something a little more grown up while we decorate holiday treats! Whether you’re whipping up a batch of classic sugar cookies, or prefer something a little more advanced, we’ve got the cookie and frosting recipes, decorating tips, and wine pairings you need for a jolly holiday bake fest!
3 Easy Cookie Recipes & Wines to Pair Them With
Sugar Cookies and Chardonnay.
Let’s start with the age-old classic: sugar cookies shaped like snowflakes, jingle bells and snowmen. Pair with another classic—Black Box Chardonnay—for the perfect sweet and creamy holiday treat!
EASY HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES
(Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies)
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a hand beater or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and continue to mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until a dough is formed. Separate the dough into two halves, wrap each half in wax paper or saran wrap, mold into a disk and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. (NOTE: Chilling the dough will help the cookies keep their shape.)
When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350℉. Dust a clean, flat surface with flour and roll out one of the dough halves to ¼ inch thickness. Continue to add flour to top and bottom of rolled out dough as necessary to combat stickiness. Use your favorite holiday cookie cutters to cut out shapes before carefully transferring cookies to a lined, greased baking sheet (we like to use a spatula for this.) Bake cookies until edges just begin to golden—this could take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Keep a close watch. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Snickerdoodles and Buttery Chardonnay.
If Christmas was a cookie, we think it’d be a snickerdoodle. These perfectly spiced cookies are just the right flavor for your holiday celebration—especially when you pair them with a glass of Black Box Buttery Chardonnay.
EASY HOLIDAY SNICKERDOODLES
(Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies)
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. Using a hand beater or electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and continue to mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until a dough is formed. Separate the dough into two halves, wrap each half in wax paper or saran wrap, mold into a disk and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. (NOTE: Chilling the dough will help the cookies keep their shape.)
When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350℉. Dust a clean, flat surface with flour and roll out one of the dough halves to ¼ inch thickness. Continue to add flour to top and bottom of rolled out dough as necessary to combat stickiness. Use your favorite holiday cookie cutters to cut out shapes before carefully transferring cookies to a lined, greased baking sheet (we like to use a spatula for this.) Bake cookies until edges just begin to golden—this could take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Keep a close watch. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Although holiday-shaped cookies are a lot of fun, we’ve found chocolate chip cookies turn out better when we cook them in a regular cookie shape. You can still decorate them in lots of fun ways, including dipping them in colorful frosting or arranging them in the shape of something fun and festive—like a Christmas tree! Pair with Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon for a perfect combination of sweet and bold.
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(Makes approx. 2 dozen cookies)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (one bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a hand beater or electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until a dough is formed. Carefully fold in chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (or overnight.)
When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350℉. Allow dough to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping large spoonfuls and arranging them 2 inches apart on a lined, greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, but keep a close watch. Cookies are ready when edges just begin to brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Don’t forget the frosting.
A cookie is only as good as its decorations, right? This royal icing recipe is easy to make in any color your holiday imagination can dream up! A couple of tips while you decorate:
– Let cookies fully cool before you start decorating
– Pay close attention to the consistency of your frosting for different stages of decoration (see instructions)
– Add candy pieces for embellishments.
EASY ROYAL ICING (IN ANY COLOR)
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup meringue powder
6 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Gel food coloring, if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
In a standing mixer, use the whisk attachment to gently mix the powdered sugar and meringue powder. With the stand mixer on low speed, add water and vanilla gradually to the powder mixture. Beat on medium-to-high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks (this should take approx. 5 minutes.)
Separate icing into as many bowls as you’d like to create different colors. Add additional water 1 tsp at a time to achieve flood consistency (fluid, will settle into a smooth surface) or piping consistency (firm, but still moves off spoon when you scoop it—perfect for drawing designs on your cookies.) Add gel food coloring one drop at a time to make sure you don’t overdo it—a little goes a long way!
Why Black Box for holiday occasions?
Our wines have earned more than 70 gold medals in wine competitions nationwide, yet still costs 40% less than comparable bottled wines. Best of all, Black Box Wines stay fresh for six weeks after opening, so you can keep enjoying them long after the holiday has ended!