This post is sponsored by Raley’s. All opinions expressed are my own.
It’s crazy to think that we are almost to Christmas and as strange as things have been this year, I had to keep the tradition of baking cookies alive! After picking out my cookie recipes, I took a trip over to my local Raley’s to pick up all of the ingredients. I love that they had an entire display dedicated to holiday baking. I was able to grab the flour, sugars, sprinkles and more in one place! I also love that I could have done all of my holiday baking shopping online and picked it up curbside without leaving my car. After spending most of the weekend baking batches of cookies I did find myself wondering what to do with them since there are no cookie swaps or gatherings to be had lately. After reviewing my Expert’s Guide to Holiday Food and Wine Pairing I thought it might make sense to create a holiday cookie and wine pairing guide. So put away the gallon of milk and reach for the red, or white or rosé!
The key thing to keep in mind when you’re pairing is that your wine will need to have enough body and structure to match your cookie. If you have a sweeter cookie, reach for a sweeter wine. A wine that is sweet or slightly sweeter than the cookie with complementary flavors such as citrus, spice, chocolate or berries will create a great pairing.
Turn up the holiday music and let’s get started!
Prosecco & Sugar Cookies
Prosecco will pair best with simple cookies such as sugar, spritz or shortbread. The acidic taste of the Prosecco will help to cut through the creamy, fatty basic holiday cookies. To balance the flavors, look for a label that says ‘brut’ on it, as it will be less sugary.
Recipe: Danish Salted Butter Cookies
Wine Suggestion: Ruffino Prosecco
Cabernet Sauvignon & Chocolate Cookies
Red wine and chocolate is an obvious pairing and creating a cookie with a rich, dark cocoa powder will complement the berry/spice flavors of a good Cabernet Sauvignon.
Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Wine Suggestion: Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon
Riesling & Gingerbread Cookies
Pairing the bold winter flavors of gingerbread (ginger, clove, cinnamon, allspice) along with a light, fruity flavors of Riesling creates a beautiful contrast. The pairing also taps into the texture of the rough cookie with the smoothness of the wine. Look for a semi-dry Riesling for your pairing.
Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies
Wine Suggestion: Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Port & Peanut Butter Cookies
When you have a strong flavor like peanut butter you’ll need a bold, sweet wine for the pairing. Look for a Tawny Port to pair with a basic peanut butter cookie or reach for a Ruby Port for a cookie made with raisins or chocolate.
Recipe: Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Wine Suggestion: St Amant Bootleg Port Amador
Moscato & Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are a common cookie found on most holiday trays. The cinnamon spice flavor of these cookies pairs best with the orange and lemon cream flavors that can be found in Moscato. You’ll appreciate the light fizz of this wine and it will make the cookies taste less sweet!
Recipe: Classic Snickerdoodles
Wine Suggestion: Risata Moscato D’Asti
Pinot Noir & Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Jam Thumbprints will also pair nicely with a Moscato but I prefer them with a Pinot Noir. The light to medium-bodied wine typically presents flavors of berries which go well with a variety of jammy flavors for the cookies. You should find that the jams used to make the cookies will elevator the berry flavors found in the wine.
Recipe: Butter and Jam Thumbprints
Wine Suggestion: La Crema Pinot Noir
There are a lot of other great wine and cookie pairings out there – just try some for yourself! If you have a pairing that you love, leave me a note in the comments below.
