Spiked: Champagne ~ Champagne and Hibiscus Cookies

You all know how I love our Get Your Chef On cooking challenges.  Well guess what.  There's a new challenge...where the secret ingredient is always BOOZE!!  Better yet, it's from two of my favorite foodie bloggers - Julie from This Gal Cooks and Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama.  Let's get Spiked!

I have to tell you how excited I was when Carrie emailed me about this challenge.  She and Julie have been GYCO participants for a while now, and GYCO is what inspired this new competition.  Wow!  

So with it being the new year, the first Spiked ingredient is champagne.  Done and DONE!  Oh I love cooking with champagne.  My original recipe idea didn't happen.  I didn't find lobster when I went shopping, and I'm lazy.  So one trip to the store was it.  I'm sure I'll still make Champagne Poached Lobster Crepes Oscar (with champagne hollandaise) soon, but for now...

COOKIES!

{with booze and flowers}

Champagne & Hibiscus Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup Korbel Brut champagne

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flower, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup hot water

Dried hibiscus flowers

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Place hot water and 6 dried hibiscus flowers in a bowl to steep while you make the cookies.  Occasionally press on the flowers to infuse the water.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; set aside

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar.  Add champagne; let mixture with not be smooth and look broken. 

Add flour mixture in two additions; mixing until just combined after each addition.

Cookie dough with be loose and sticky - almost batter like.

In a Ziploc bag, place 7 dried hibiscus flowers and seal bag.  Use a rolling pin to crush the flowers.

Add flowers to the cookie dough.

Fold in flowers until combined.

Put remaining flour in a small bowl.

Scoop 1 tablespoon cookie dough, and place into flour.

Dust dough by rolling in flour.  Roll dough again in your hands to remove excess flour.

Place cookies on a parchment or Sil-Pat lined baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Move to wire rack to cool completely.

I love the speckles all over these cookies created by the flowers.

The cookies will have a slightly crisp crust and a cakey middle.

These cookies expand and the shape can get a little wonky.

If you like, grab a 2" round cookie cutter and cut them to size.

So much better.  I'm weird like this.

While the cookies are pretty (and tasty) just like this, let's kick it up a notch.

Drain water from hibiscus flowers.  Discard flowers.

In a large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons hibiscus water.

If the icing it too thin, add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar at a time; mix after each addition.

If the icing is too thick, add a teaspoon of hibiscus water at a time.

Dip cooled cookie tops into icing, carefully.

The cakey nature of these cookies can make dipping a little precarious.

Voila!

Fancy shamancy delicious floral cookies.

They are amazing!

For realsies.

You can make these a little more kid friendly too - if you like.

Ditch the flowers and icing.

Scoop the dough into the flour, but only dust one side.

Dip the other side of the cookie (the top) in some sprinkles and bake per the recipe.

The boys loved their special cookies too.

I can't wait for the next Spiked challenge.

I hope to see you there!!