The following cookies will delight anyone who loves chewy cookies, with a crunchy, sugary coating.
I started making the cookies by soaking some golden raisins in a bit of leftover red wine, so that they will absorb the red wine flavors and aroma. Since I’m partial to the combination of red wine and chocolate, I decided to use raw cacao powder and chocolate chips in the dough, to which I’ve also added some chopped pecans.
To add another layer of flavor and texture, I rolled the dough balls in demerara sugar, that gave the cookies a crunchy coating and a nice caramelly finish.
The cookies pair well with red wine, and, of course, with any other beverage you prefer. Try them and enjoy.
Notes:
* Raw cacao powder is less processed than regular cocoa powder, thus has milder flavor and lighter color, which works well here, as the idea was to keep the red wine flavor dominant. However, if you can’t find it, or if you prefer a more pronounced chocolaty flavor, regular or dark cocoa powder can be used instead.
* Demerara sugar is a pale golden sugar, with fairly large grains. Do try to find it and not substitute with any other sugar, especially for rolling the cookie dough.
Makes: 30
Marinating time: 1 hour
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 12-14 minutes
Ingredients:
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup red wine (I used Merlot)
1 stick (115 grams) butter, soft
½ cup white sugar
½ cup demerara sugar (see notes)
1 L egg
½ tsp vanilla paste
3 Tbs Raw cacao powder (see notes)
¼ tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips
For coating:
½ cup demerara sugar (see notes)
1. Mix the raisins and wine in a small bowl, and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 360F (180C). Line two cookie sheet pans with baking paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, white and demerara sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, cacao powder and salt, and whisk again. Add the raisins, with the wine, and mix.
4. Add the flour and baking powder and mix again. Add the pecans and chocolate chips, and mix briefly to combine.
5. Place the demerara sugar in a small bowl. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion the dough into balls, and roll them in the sugar. Place in the pans, leaving room to expand.
6. Bake for 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 14 minutes for firmer ones. Leave to cool in the pan before releasing. The cookies can keep, in an airtight container, for up to a week. They can also be frozen for up to a month.
These look beautifully textured and delicious! I must say, while I’ve soaked raisins in any number of liquors, I’ve never thought about red wine. I will have to place this in the back of my mind for future recipes, but the idea of pairing the wine with the chocolate here is genius!
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Thank you Dorothy, I’m glad you liked the cookies. I also usually soak raisins in liquors, but, as I had some leftover good red wine, I decided to give it a try, and was pleasantly surprised!
Looking forward to seeing your take on it. 🙂
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Stay tuned!
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There never seems to be any wine around when I need it, but what about pineapple vinegar? Too tart? Just read up on the differences between cacao and cocoa – you always seem to know what I am investigating at any given time!
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Thank you Judie, I’m glad you liked the cookies. The differences between the types of cocoa-cacao are quite fascinating.
The only vinegar I can think of, that might work as a substitute for the wine, is diluted Balsamic vinegar. But I’m all for experimenting! 🙂
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These sound superb. As far as I know, I’ve never had cookies made with wine. Seems like a very good idea.
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Thank you Neil, I’m glad you liked the cookies. They were very tasty and fragrant. The addition of red wine to cookies is definitely worth trying! 🙂
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Of course I love chewy, crispy, sugary, chocolate cookies and with red wine – for sure count me in 🙂 Being a wine drinker and preferably Merlot you’ve made the perfect cookie for me.
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Thank you Judy, happy to count you in! I’m also into Merlot, and enjoyed finding the last 1/2 cup a good home, with all these tasty ingredients. 🙂
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Merlot is an interesting ingredient to add to cookies – I bet they are good. I like using demerara sugar too and never used raw cacao 🙂
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I love demerara sugar. I started using raw cacao only a couple of years ago. I still prefer darker cocoa for cakes, but it’s nice to have more flavors to experiment with.
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Very interesting recipe Ronit!! I usually soak fruits in rum or brandy…nice to see you have used some wine! Delicious cookies!!
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Thank you Shy, I’m glad you liked the cookies. I also usually use liquors for soaking raisins, but as I had some leftover red wine, I decided to give it a try, and it worked really well. 🙂
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You have wine left over..lol…These look delicious I haven’t seen(looked) for raw cocoa powder but I will and I will also make sure to keep a little wine aside(hide ) the bottle…I am not only wine drinker here…:)
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Thank you Carol, I’m glad you liked the cookies. They disappeared very quickly!
To solve the “problem” of leftover wine, I suggest soaking the raisins with the wine prior to serving. When it’s a done deal, it’s indisputable! 🙂
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Good idea.. Thank you, Ronit 😊
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🙂
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What an interesting Recipe Ronit
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Thank you Tina, I’m glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
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Wow, these look fabulous. I know I’ve never used wine in cookies! How much can you taste it? I love all of the ingredients together, and the sugar coating.
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Thank you Mimi, I’m glad you liked the cookies. The wine flavor and aroma was fairly noticeable, more so from the raisins. The sugar coating is something I’m going to use more often. So tasty! 🙂
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Very interesting Ronit! Never thought to use red wine in a cookie! All the ingredients that I like are in this recipe!
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Thank you Aletta, I’m glad you liked the cookies. This combination of ingredients worked so well together, and the wine added such a nice aroma and subtle flavor to them. 🙂
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How nice!
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My world changed when I began “plumping” raisins in alcohol. 😍🍂
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… and the rest is history! 🙂
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I have not used raw cacao before , seems like it tastes awesome . The pictures are so tempting!
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Thank you Nisha, I’m glad you liked the cookies. They were very tasty. Raw cacao is a nice option to have, though for cakes, I still prefer dark cocoa. 🙂
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Oh this looks very good!!!
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Thank you Matteo, I’m glad you liked the cookies. They were very tasty. 🙂
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This reminds me of a traditional New Orleans thing that pops up around Christmas. Especially at parties. Ever heard of rum balls? My sister used to make them. You crush up vanilla wafers, add chopped pecans, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and rum. Or in my sisters case bourbon, rum AND Everclear! Then you roll them into balls and that’s it. No baking. They will give you a buzz!
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Thank you Blaine for commenting. I figured the raisins in the cookies will be off-putting to you, so no wonder you take it to another direction! 🙂
In professional kitchen, Rum Balls are known as the way to use all kinds of leftover cakes/cookies, so using vanilla wafers as the base is definitely better. I would still soak some raisins in rum/bourbon, and add them to the mix! 🙂
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Yeah, well I can understand you raisin lovers doing that. 😑
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🙂
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Looks gorgeous 😍
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Thank you Syamala. 🙂
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Score! Another cookie recipe to make for the holidays. I love the idea of soaking the raisins in wine and using milder cocoa powder to let that red wine flavor through is also brilliant. These will be a part of my annual Christmas cookie giveaway. Thanks, Ronit…
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Thank you Ron, I’m glad you liked the cookies, and hope you’ll enjoy them.
This was the first time I soaked raisins in wine, but definitely not the last! 🙂
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