Red Wine Brownie Cookies

Name: Red Wine Brownie Cookies
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Chelsea Kyle

November 15, 2021

A delicious fusion of wine and chocolate.

In his new book Cookies, Jesse Szewczyk celebrates an array of boozy baked goods, and in this recipe, “red wine and chocolate combine to create a decadent brownie cookie that is rich, fudgy, and as full-bodied as a cookie can be,” Szewczyk writes. “Since the wine is reduced, you can use any type of dry red wine you have on hand, including the cheap stuff—or even mix a few varieties to use up your almost-empties. The cookies end up with a bold red-wine flavor and a super-satisfying chewy texture.”

Ingredients

Yield:18 large cookies

2 sticks (16 Tbsp./226 grams) unsalted butter
2 cups (473 ml) dry red wine, any variety
⅓ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (99 grams) granulated sugar, divided
3 ¼ cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour (416 grams)
½ cup (45 grams) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ cups (300 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. (227 grams) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (about 1⅓ cups)

Preparation

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the milk solids from burning, until the butter foams and then darkens in color slightly and is very fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl. Do not wash the pan.

To the saucepan used to melt the butter, add the red wine and 2 tablespoons (32 grams) of the granulated sugar and bring to a simmer over high heat. (Be careful; the wine will sizzle when you pour it in the pan.) Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ⅓ cup (79 ml), 16 to 18 minutes. (The easiest way to test if the reduction is ready is to pour it into a heatproof measuring glass to see if it’s at the ⅓-cup mark.) Pour the reduced wine into the bowl with the butter and let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.

As the butter/wine mixture cools, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 3 baking sheets (or as many as you have) with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

Whisk both the brown sugar and the remaining ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar into the butter/ wine mixture, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms, then stir in the chopped chocolate.

Using a large 2⅓-inch (#16) cookie scoop or ¼-cup measure, portion out the dough and roll into large balls. Place the dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet).

Bake 2 sheets at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through baking, until the tops lose their shine but their cracks still appear slightly wet (don’t be tempted to overbake), 11 to 14 minutes, then bake the remaining baking sheet of cookies on either rack. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.

If wrapped tightly in plastic, the finished dough can be stored in the refrigerator for several days before baking. If too firm to scoop, let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and try again.