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Sonoma Valley Portworks
Chocolate Port Chocolate Butter Cookies |
| Sonoma Valley Portworks Owners Bill Reading and Brad Ish |
Some things are just meant to be. Such was the case in 1994 when Bill Reading and Brad Ish were about to abandon their idea for the ultimate after-dinner wine (a Cabernet Sauvignon/chocolate essence blend)—and serendipity came into play. As their winemaker was sipping a glass of port, he noticed the chocolate essence still sitting on the table from the day’s trials—and decided to add a few drops to his glass. Thus was the beginning of Sonoma Valley Portworks’ Deco.
Today, ingredients from California and Australia are hand-selected to make six different offerings, all of which are blended and bottled in Sonoma County. (You can find them at The Wine Room in Kenwood and at the Petaluma winery located in the historic Foundry Wharf.) And for those of you looking for that ultimate dessert experience, look no further than a bottle of delicious Duet and this recipe for chocolate butter cookies.
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| Chocolate Butter Cookies
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| 6 ounces (1.5 packages) German baking chocolate 1 cup butter 1 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla |
1 1/4 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
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| Preparation:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate over very low heat and set aside to cool. Cream the butter until light. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar to the butter, continuing to cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Sift the flour and salt into the creamed mixture and stir until smooth. Blend in the chocolate and walnuts. Drop teaspoons of batter two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Cool cookies two to three minutes, then remove to rack and cool completely. Store in airtight container. Makes 3 to 4 dozen |
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