Italian Wine Biscuits

Perfect with a dessert course of fruit and cheese, Italian Wine Biscuits are lightly sweet with subtle flavors of red wine, black pepper, and a bit of salt.

If you've never had Italian wine biscuits before, we urge you to give them a try. It's important to explain that wine biscuits are not really “biscuits” in the American sense – they're cookies!

Admittedly, they're not the prettiest cookies in the world, but the subtle flavors of the red wine, black pepper and a wee bit of salt are sure to get you hooked.

Our recipe came to us from a family friend whose father, an Italian immigrant, made his own red wine in the basement of his Providence, Rhode Island home.

The flavor that robust homemade wine gave to these biscuits was second to none, but if you use a good hearty red like Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon, it should yield great results.

We recommend serving wine biscuits with some fruit and cheese for dessert after an authentic Italian menu. Possible cheese choices include fresh mozzarella, taleggio, and Bel Paese. Serve with sliced pears, grapes,

They're delicious with a cup of espresso and pair really well with fortified wines like Marsala or Ruby Port.

FEATURED IN: Christmas Cookies | Italian Christmas Eve Menu

Italian Wine Biscuits

Yield: 36 cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Perfect with a dessert course of fruit and cheese, Italian Wine Biscuits are lightly sweet with subtle flavors of red wine, black pepper, and a bit of salt.

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Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Make a well in the center and add the vegetable oil and wine.
2. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. To form the biscuits, pinch off 1-inch balls of dough and gently roll into a small log about 1/2-inch in diameter.
5. Bring the ends together to form a circle and pinch to close.
6. Place the formed biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with the egg-water mixture.
7. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes until solid and slightly crisp on the outside.
8. These cookies do not really brown, so test them after 12 minutes and time them according to your personal taste.
9. Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 55 Total Fat: 2g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 5mg Sodium: 102mg Carbohydrates: 7g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 2g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 1g

Note: Nutrition information is estimated and may vary from your actual results.