Spring is upon us and that has me craving all the refreshing flavors that come with the changing weather! There’s nothing better than a chilled glass of freshly squeezed lemonade in the warm sun, and of course that first refreshing sip of Rosé as the sun sets. I couldn’t quite decide what I wanted more of this week as I prepared for a little “Galentines” indulgence, so I decided to marry the three things I enjoy most: Fresh squeezed lemonade, fluffy homemade sugar cookies, and Rosé wine! The result – the most refreshing, soft and delicious Lemon Rosé sugar cookies! If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the experimentation go down on my stories and I am thrilled to bring you the finished and perfected product today. This unique and enchanting recipe that is sure to dazzle your friends and family at your next girls night, bridal shower, or other springtime gathering!
You can even use this recipe to amp up the romance with your man on Valentines day (If you want to prepare the perfect at home date night complete with a romantic dinner recipe for two and 16 fun at-home date ideas, check out my Planning the Perfect At-Home Date Night blog post)!

Before I begin, let me explain how I happened upon this recipe. I have always enjoyed making homemade sugar cookies – a recipe I have changed and modified over the years to suit the exact flavor, texture, and consistency I desire. I have played around with the thought of adding lemon to these cookies in the form of zest and freshly squeezed juice, but I wanted something more special, more unique! I thought to myself, what would make these cookies the harness the PERFECT flavor? A muted sweetness, a hint of fresh lemon, and a subtle tinge of Rosé wine would be it. I began experimenting, considering how I could incorporate the wine without altering the consistency and texture I have spent so long perfecting. Then it hit me – I’ll make a “wine syrup”!

“…Then it hit me, ‘I’ll Make a Wine Syrup!'”

This “wine syrup” idea appealed to me for a few reasons:

1. I could store the syrup and use it to drizzle over vanilla ice cream to make a Rosé flavored treat (queue salivation),
2. I could dilute the syrup with some balsamic or apple cider vinegar to make a subtly sweet and acidic summer salad dressing (say that 5 times fast), and
3. It could be used to sweeten virtually ANY treat that calls for sugar!

In making my favorite wine beverage into a simple syrup, the possibilities are truly endless. And the best part is that I would be able to maintain the sugar cookie consistency I so love by keeping the same ingredient ratio while simply subbing the Rosé syrup for a portion of the sugar content in the recipe! Excited to make this a reality, I ran to the kitchen and began experimenting!

I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of making the syrup. Yes, it requires a bit of “eyeballing” and watching for doneness, but it wasn’t quite as finicky as fudge can be (y’all know I love my Old Fashioned Fudge recipe but boy is it temperamental)! After couple sub-par attempts I landed on the ideal syrup reduction, slipped it in to the recipe for some of the sugar that the cookie dough needed, and popped these suckers in the oven, eager to see what flavor my creation would yield. The verdict – truly better than I imagined! The perfect hint of Rosé and subtle tinge of fresh lemon… truly a refreshing treat!

I am SO thrilled to bring you this delectable Lemon Rosé sugar cookie recipe just in time for the holiday of love! For this recipe you can use any wine/champagne of your choice – you could even use champagne and substitute orange juice/zest to make them into “Mimosa Sugar Cookies”! And while these cookies won’t give you the buzz you might be looking for (the alcohol cooks out), they are best enjoyed with a side of chilled Rosé wine or sparkling champagne (and some girlfriends, of course)!

ALRIGHT ALREADY… I’m done ranting. Let’s get to this Lemon Rosé cookie recipe!

Lemon Rosé Sugar Cookies Recipe

Wine Syrup Ingredients:

• 1/2 C Rosé (or wine/champagne of your choice – the more sweetness in the wine, the more sweet your syrup will be! I recommend Rosé for a muted, more subtle sweetness and a Moscato or Stella Rosa for a sweeter treat)
• 1/4 C Sugar
• Dash of Salt

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1/2 C (1 stick) slightly chilled/room temperature unsalted butter (very important that is it no warmer than room temperature)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1/4 C wine syrup (instructions below)
• 2 Tbsp Lemon Zest
• 1/2 Large Lemon squeezed juice (about 2 Tbsp)
• 2 1/4 C All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• A bit of red/pink food coloring if you prefer a pink color (the wine itself brings such a subtle pink that will cook out in the oven, so add color to enhance the appearance if desired OR use reserved excess syrup to make an icing by combining it with lemon juice, milk & powdered sugar)
• About 1/2 C powdered sugar (for garnishing)

Wine Syrup Instructions:

1. Combine wine, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Once a rolling simmer is achieved, watch closely and stir occasionally. The syrup is complete when it is reduced by about half and of a “maple syrup” consistency (to check, spoon some up, blow on it to cool, and touch it – it should be sticky like syrup but still pretty runny)! This process should take anywhere from 7-10 minutes (depending on your stove and the intensity of your simmer).
3. When syrup consistency is reached, turn off heat and allow the syrup to cool completely in the pan down to room temperature!
4. PRO TIP РYou can double this recipe and save half to make a Ros̩ infused icing or to keep in the fridge as a topping for ice cream, dressings, pancakes, etc!

Cookie Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare your cookie sheets (lightly greased).
2. Combine the room temperature butter, cooled wine syrup, and sugar in a bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy – approximately 3 minutes. It is very important that these instructions are followed precisely as a change in temperature could drastically alter the texture of the finished cookies!
3. Once the sugar/syrup/butter have been creamed together, add the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat a few more minutes with the electric mixer to fully combine ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, and salt). Slowly fold these ingredients into the creamed sugar mixture and then use an electric mixer to finish fully incorporating all the ingredients together! This is also where you will add the food dye to make the cookies more pink :).
5. Place the dough in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to lightly chill. This step can be skipped, but lightly chilling the dough will allow the cookies to better maintain their puffy shape when cooked! 
6. Spoon 1.5-2″ “clumps” of dough on to cookie sheet at about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle a considerable amount of powdered sugar over the top of each cookie and use your hands or a spoon to pat the sugar in to coat the entire surface of the cookie! Be sure not to flatten that “clumps” as you do this though, try and keep them more of a “ball shape” (about 1.5 inches tall – see picture below).
7. Bake cookies at 350 for 9-11 minutes (finished cookies should be soft, fluffy, and hold their “puffiness”!)
8. Cool, Serve, and ENJOY! 🙂

…To Modify the Recipe as Mimosa Cookies

Probably the best thing about this recipe is it’s flexibility! If you are interested in altering this recipe to make “mimosa cookies” instead, simply substitute champagne for wine, add an additional 1/4 c sugar to the syrup, and use fresh squeezed orange juice/zest in place of lemon! This recipe is totally adaptable to meet your desired flavor! You could use virtually any juice/wine/champagne combination to concoct your own unique flavor profile so long as the measurements remain the same. Please share with me if you do make a unique flavor, I would love to see it (tag me on Instagram @inspo_messydesk)!

I hope you will bring these tasty treats to your next girls night or event, they are sure to be a crowd pleaser! The process of making these alone can be made into an enjoyable experience – you’ve got a bottle of open Rosé, go ahead and sip while you simmer! Have some fun with this recipe this spring and be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make your own wine-syrup creations!

From my kitchen to yours, Happy Valentines Day!

Love,

Kelsie