I was flipping through *Crust: Bread to Get Your Teeth Into* by Richard Bertinet and I came across a reference to Cabernet flour. Of course, we had to check it out and see what exactly Cabernet flour was like. In the book, he used cabernet powder from Vinifera for Life, a Canadian company. With a little searching, we were able to find a company called Apres Vin out of Washington State that also produced not only Cabernet flour but also Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling flours and both single varietal and flavored grape seed oils. They buy the wine pomace left over from the wine-making process from wineries they like and use it to make both grape seed oils and grape-seed flours. I ordered a few flours to try out and they generously added the last flour and a couple of their oils to try out. Our first experiment was these Cabernet Chocolate cookies and they were delicious. It bodes well for future experiments with these products. We’ll keep you posted.
**Cabernet Chocolate Cookies**
– 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
– 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 cup light brown sugar
– 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
– 2 large eggs, room temperature
– 2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/4 cup Cabernet flour
– 2 cups coarsely chopped chocolate or callets (we used a blend of Valrhona Manjari & Caribe)
Cream the butter, salt, and baking soda together using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until well blended. Add the brown sugars, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until each addition is fully blended and light. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is fully absorbed by the mixture. Add the chocolate extract. Whisk together the two flours and add them to the butter all at once. Stir until just blended. Add chocolate and fold it in by hand. If the dough is too soft, chill for two hours before baking.
Preheat oven to 375ยบ F. Line 2-3 sheet trays with parchment paper or silicone mats. Using approximately 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, shape the dough into flattened balls either by hand or using an ice cream scoop. Place the dough balls on a sheet pan, leaving 2 inches between them so they have room to spread in the oven. Bake 5-8 minutes (7-10 if using chilled dough), rotating once, until cookies are golden brown and no longer appear wet in the center. Let cool on the pans for at least 5 minutes before removing them to a rack or eating.
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