The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year filled with family, friends, and tradition. To kick off the holidays, my family has been doing an annual Cookie Bake for over 15 years. It is not only a time for family to share their favorite cookie recipe but it has become quite competitive over the years with each person vying for a first-place finish with the judges!
2020 was a challenging year with the pandemic and we chose to cancel the event for the first time since its inception. But I am happy to say we are back for 2021 and I am so excited to share my Dark Chocolate & Cherry Spritz cookie recipe with my family! My mom has been making Christmas spritz cookies for as long as I can remember. She always said, “Christmas could not come without the spritz cookies. So, for my Cookie Bake entry this year, I decided to recreate her famous cookies but with a Simply Paired twist. I’ve kept the basic dough recipe intact but decided to elevate the recipe by adding dark chocolate and tart cherry jam. These additions make them perfect for a Simply Paired wine complement.
For the pairing, I wanted a light-bodied red wine with high acidity to cut through the richness of the dough and low in tannins. And to complement the cherry jam, it needed to be fruit-forward, bursting with the aroma and flavors of dark red cherry. Lastly, it needed to be simple so as to not overshadow the cookie. My choice, Beaujolais Village from France. It simply checks all the boxes!. To learn more about the Beaujolais wine region and the different styles of Beaujolais wine, check out my pairing page.
Thank you Mom for the recipe inspiration. Christmas can finally come!
Dark Chocolate & Cherry Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ bar good quality dark chocolate
- ½ cup tart cherry jam
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Step 2 To make the dough, place the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Step 3 Combine the flour and salt with a whisk. Add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on low until just combined.
- Step 4 Using a cookie press, insert the wreath disk into the canister then add enough dough to fill the canister. Press dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a Microplane, over each cookie.
- Step 5 Bake for 7-8 minutes until the cookies are lightly brown on the edges. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
- Step 6 Spread some of the cherry jam over 1 cookie and place another cookie on top. Place evenly on your favorite Christmas platter and serve with your favorite Beaujolais red wine!
