Rosé Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
A sparkling rosé reduction is added to a strawberry shortbread dough spiced with a hint of black pepper, glazed with a rosé glaze, and lightly dipped in dark chocolate. This fancy little cookie is a star addition to a cheese board or cookie party platter for New Years.
It’s no surprise I am a fan of shortbread. Maybe fan is too light of a description…perhaps I am obsessed, a little bit of a lunatic for shortbread? No, let’s put a positive spin to this description, it is after all the beginning of a new year which should be an opportune time for embarking on positive changes. I would like to consider myself an aficionado of shortbread. Much like a cheese enthusiast, I cannot call my myself a professional shortbread baker, but I can eat my body weight in the crisp flavorful cookie and will tabulate a list of all my favorite shortbread cookies to make, eat, and buy.
This flavor combination of reduced sparkling Rosé, black pepper, strawberry, and dark chocolate has been in my cookie brainstorm journal for years. Literally, years. I traced it back to New Years of 2018 when I first wanted to make a cookie using some sort of bubbly and it has taken me this long to finally put it into practice.
I wanted the base cookie to be a shortbread with its tender crispness, it’s flaky, melt in your mouth quality that holds up so well to crisp and creamy powdered sugar glazes. The base recipe of shortbread is simple and a great blank canvas for a multitude of flavors. Butter, powdered sugar, salt, and flour are the foundation of this shortbread and I have added savory and sweet additions to transform it into a most indulgent and luscious celebratory cookie.
So, without further ado, I have typed out in great detail exactly how I have made these cookies with explanations on why I used certain ingredients as well as alterations and substitutions to this recipe as you see fit. I wish you, my dear readers and cookie family, a wonderful and prosperous new year. It is never too late to make changes in your life, and it will always be the right time to be kind. I love the support and platform you all have given me in 2022 and I look forward to bringing you more recipes and helpful cookie content in 2023.
With Love (and a plate full of cookies),
Chrissy
Why I Love This Recipe
FLAVOR-All caps, see what I did there? The flavor of this cookie is so unique and deeply satisfying. The sparkling rosé reduction is nothing short of pungent, it concentrates the flavor of this tasty wine into a dark rose colored syrup brimming with the strong notes of wine and ripe strawberries. It is everything I w had hoped a wine reduction would be and is added into the shortbread cookie dough to impart a Rosé flavor. The potency of the wine reduction is subdued with the fat and sugar in the base recipe and is brought back to life through this cookie creation. The addition of black pepper is an ode to my cheesemaking and winetasting days where strawberry black pepper jam was paired with fresh chevres and sparkling Rosé. I love the spicy bite black pepper gives to strawberries which work well alongside the soft spicy bite of a good Rosé wine. The pepper is a subtle flavor, mostly a nice warmth that comes through on every second or third nibble of this cookie. I added just a kiss of dark chocolate, barely dipping the edge of the cookie in melted dark chocolate as a whisper of bitter chocolate to contrast the sweet and bright strawberry and Rosé flavors of the cookie. It reminds me of a wine tasting where you sip on an array of fragrant and delicious wines with little bites of chocolate or cured meats and cheese along the way. A delightful way to refresh the palette while also playing with the different flavors wine can bring out in certain foods. A jovial play on flavors are found in this cookie and I am in love. And to answer a question that I hope is burning in your mind by now, YES, these cookies pair lovely with a glass of sparkling Rosé.
Texture-The texture is crisp with a melt in your mouth crumb. I have added an egg yolk to the dough to create a creamier bite within the cookie while still having a cookie sturdy enough to be dipped into glaze. The addition of cornstarch keeps these cookies soft as well. The creamy Rosé glaze sets up to have thin crispness when bitten into while quickly softening into a creamy essence of Rosé flavor. The dark chocolate dip adds a thicker texture which I feel should be savored last as to not overshadow the delicateness of this cookie.
New Years Cookie-if you are in need of a fancy cookie for a cheeseboard, new years party, or wine tasting, look no further, this cookie is it! It can also be made with pink champagne, prosecco, or champagne of your choice. I feel any type of bubbly with sweet notes can accompany the flavors in this cookie well, sparkling Rosé just so happens to be one of my favorite bubblies with Prosecco a close second.
Ingredients You Need
-Butter- unsalted room temperature butter.
-Powdered Sugar- for the cookie dough and for the glaze.
-Egg Yolk-to enrich the cookie dough
-Vanilla Extract
-Salt-for flavor.
-Flour
-Cornstarch- not much is used in this recipe to keep the cookie sturdy enough to dip in glaze. It will soften the cookie crumb so that it is melt in your mouth delicious.
-Freeze Dried Strawberries- I used a small snack pack I found at the grocery store; it weighed .26 ounces so it wasn’t very much at all. After making the recipe it was the perfect amount of strawberry flavor and I think any more would make it too strawberry heavy in flavor. I crushed up the strawberries while they were still in the package until I felt no large pieces remain. I then added the strawberry powder to the recipe after.
-Sparkling Rosé-you can also use pink champagne (same thing), champagne, sparkling dry wine, or prosecco. If you are in the market for an incredible sparkling Rosé, Dandy Rosé has the best Texas wine I have ever tried. I am guilty of ordering cases of it, that’s how good it is.
-Dark Chocolate-Totally optional. I like the contrast of bitter creamy chocolate with the flavor of Rosé and strawberries, but the cookie is fantastic with the glaze as well.
-Sprinkles, Edible Glitter, Gold Leaf-These would be magnificent with a soft decoration of shimmery gold sprinkles, or a gold edible glitter, or gold leaf. I didn’t have any gold decorations in my baking kit that were worthy for this cookie, but I thought I would include this note just in case you were looking for a way to take this cookie over the top for New Years.
Sparkling Rosé Reduction
First things first, the rosé reduction must made before starting on cookies.
What is a Rosé reduction? It is Rosé wine reduced to concentrate the flavors into a thin wine syrup. This is what will give the shortbread and glaze a strong Rosé flavor without adding too much moisture to the dough or glaze.
First, I pop a bottle of sparkling Rosé open. I don’t know about you, but I get inexplicably giddy and giggly when I hear a bottle pop open.
I carefully pour a cup and a half of Rosé into a medium saucepan. It bubbles up significantly as I pour so I take my time for the bubbles to settle as I am measuring. Alternatively, a cup and a half is around half a bottle of wine if you want to eyeball it.
I turn the heat on my stove to high and bring the wine to a boil. I reduce the heat to medium high and allow the wine to simmer until it reduces to a ¼ cup. This will take around 6-8 minutes depending on how hot your stove is at.
I keep a ½ cup measuring cup by the pan of simmering wine to make sure I am as close to a ¼ cup as possible.
When the reduction has reached a quarter of a cup, I pour it into a small glass bowl and let it cool while I make the cookies dough.
Cookie Time
These cookies are very easy to put together as most shortbread cookies are since they are simple cookies with few ingredients.
In a bowl with a small spatula mix the room temperature butter and powdered sugar together until mixed and creamy.
I add in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of Rosé reduction (cooled to room temperature) to the butter and sugar. I mix until it is smooth and creamy.
I take the small package of freeze-dried strawberries, and before opening, I crush the pieces of strawberries until I feel no large clumps in the bag. I do this instead of using a blender but if you want a fine powder with no large chunks, you can opt for a few quick pulses in the blender instead.
Next, I add the flour, ground pepper, cornstarch, and freeze-dried strawberry powder to the butter mixture and mix until it comes together in a smooth dough. It will look dry and stiff at first but continue to mix and it will eventually come together after a minute or so.
I place the dough into a gallon plastic sealable bag. Using a rolling pin I roll out the dough to fill the entire bag from corner to corner. I leave a small gap on the side where the bag closes to allow me to seal the bag and place in the fridge.
The reason I do this instead of placing it in plastic wrap is because the greater surface area of the dough means it will chill faster and subsequently unchill faster. This will help it reach the desired temperature to roll out quicker when it is time to roll and cut out shapes from the dough.
Another reason is it will help to roll out the dough less. Because it is already in a large thin sheet, all I will need to is slightly roll out and smooth the edges of the dough. This cuts down on the amount of time I spend rolling out stiff dough from the fridge.
I place the sheet of dough into the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. The longer the better with shortbread, the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days before rolling out.
After the cookie dough has had time to chill out, I preheat the oven to 350*F and take the dough out of the fridge.
I let the dough come up in temperature for 10 minutes. I then cut the seams of the gallon plastic bag and flip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin I soften out the creases from the plastic bag and lightly press out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. I do not want the dough thinner than ¼ inch. If the dough is thicker than ¼ inch that is fine too, anywhere between ¼ and less than ½ and inch in thickness works great.
I take a round fluted cookie cutter that is 2 ½ inches in diameter and begin to cut out circles. I place 12 on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when they look dry to the touch and are fragrant.
I gather the dough and reroll the dough to cut out approximately 12 more rounds of dough for the second baking tray while the first tray of cookies bake.
I pop the unbaked cutout cookie tray in the fridge while the first tray is baking. After the first tray is done I put the second tray from the fridge in the oven.
I carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool after they have set up on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
I cool them for another 30 minutes before glazing and dipping in chocolate.
Rosé Glaze
After the cookies are cooled, I make the Rosé glaze. I place 1 ½ cups powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of reduced Rosé wine.
My glaze was a little thick after the wine reduction was added so I added a teaspoon of water at a time until the glaze was a smooth loose consistency. I wanted to the glaze to look like a maple syrup in consistency.
I take the cooled cookies and dip the tops one by one in the glaze. I return the cookies to the wire rack for the glaze to drip and set.
The glaze needs to set up for at least 45-60 minutes before dipping in dark chocolate. The cookies can also be decorated at this time if you have any gold edible decorations to add on top of the glaze.
If you want to skip the dark chocolate the cookies are done at this point. Place in a covered container and store at room temperature in a single layer until ready to serve. They will stay fresh for several days.
To add a dark chocolate drip, the glazed cookies need to be set. Touch the sides of the cookie, if the glaze moves and feels wet to the touch allow 20-30 minutes extra for the glaze to harden and set.
Once the glaze is set, melt a ¼ cup of dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 second intervals 2 times. I tire after 30 seconds then place back in the microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
Once the chocolate is melted, dip the cookies in chocolate and place back on wire rack to set up. You can also drizzle the cookies with dark chocolate BUT, less is more with this dark chocolate addition. I recommend keeping the drizzle light and to a minimum as to not overpower the delicate flavor of the cookie.
After the chocolate has cooled and set up, around 10 minutes the cookies are ready to be enjoyed.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful 2022! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!
Rosé Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
Chrissy GrundyIngredients
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tspn salt
- ¼ tspn black pepper finely ground
- .26 ounces freeze dried strawberries
- 1¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1½ cups sparkling Rosé can use pink champagne, champagne, sparkling wine, prosecco. This will be made into a reduction.
- 1½ cups powdered sugar for the glaze.
- ¼ cup dark chocolate optional.
- water for the glaze as needed.
- edible gold decorations optional.
Instructions
Sparkling Rosé Wine Reduction
- In a saucepan measure out 1½ cup (half a bottle) of sparkling rosé wine.
- Bring the wine up to a boil over high heat.
- Allow the wine to boil and reduce for 6-8 minutes over medium high heat.
- Turn the stove off after the wine has reduced to a quarter of a cup. Place the reduction in a small glass bowl to cool before adding to the cookie dough.
- One tablespoon of this reduction will be used in the cookie dough, the rest will be used in the glaze for the cookies.
Cookies
- In a bowl, combine softened butter and powdered sugar until thoroughly mixed together.
- Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, ONE tablespoon of rosé reduction and mix to combine.
- Using a spatula, fold in the flour, cornstarch, black pepper, and powdered freeze dried strawberries. The mixture will look dry at first but will turn into a soft dough.
- Place the dough into a gallon sealable bag and press the dough flat, filling the entire surface area of the bag with the dough.
- Chill for at least 2 hours. The longer the better. The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- After the dough has chilled, cut the gallon storage bag open and place the flat square of dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll the dough to even out the edges, the dough should be about a ¼ inch thick. No thicker than a ½ inch.
- Using a fluted 2½ inch cookie cutter, cut out circle shapes from the dough.
- Carefully place the circles on a parchment lined baking sheet spacing 2 inches apart. I fit 12 circles on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350*F for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will look dry to the touch but won't have very much color on them.
- Reroll the dough and repeat cutting out circles until all the dough is used. Bake one baking sheet of cookies at a time.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Rosé Glaze
- In a bowl add 1½ cups of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of wine reduction.
- Mix until smooth and creamy. The glaze should have the consistency of maple syrup.
- If the glaze is too thick add a teaspoon of water at a time, if it is too thin add 1/4 cup powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
- Dip the cookies one by one into the glaze. Place the glazed cookies on to a wire rack to allow the glaze to drip off the cookies and set up.
- Allow the glaze an hour to set up before dipping into melted dark chocolate.
- After the glaze has set up and hardened, melt dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 20-30 seconds intervals until melted. It took me 2 30 second intervals with a stir in between and after.
- Dip the glazed cookies only a quarter of the way down to create a dark chocolate edge on one side of the cookie. Place back on wire rack.
- Any sprinkles, glitter, or gold leaf can be placed on the dark chocolate while it is still warm before the chocolate cools and hardens.
- Allow the chocolate to set up for 10-15 minutes before transferring cookies to serving tray or cheeseboard.
- Enjoy!