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You are here: Home / Desserts / Cookies / Champagne Stars

Champagne Stars

December 28, 2020 By Sam 10 Comments

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collage of champagne star cookies, top image of cookies on white plate, bottom image of cookies with tray close up

Something fun and a little different for your New Year’s Eve party, bridal shower, or any occasion that calls for a champagne celebration! These Champagne Star Cookies are simple buttery sugar cookies topped with a rich champagne infused frosting. Simple to make, and the recipe includes a step-by-step video!

champagne star cookies on a white plate

Champagne Cookies

Popping in really quickly with a fun New Year’s Eve recipe for you (and my last new recipe of 2020): Champagne Star Cookies! While you won’t catch a buzz off of these sweet treats, they’re a lot of fun to make and taste distinctly of your favorite champagne.

These would also be great as a bridal shower dessert, wedding party treat, or really any cause for celebration.

They have sturdy, buttery, cookie bases that are slightly crisp on the outside but softer in the center. The top is iced with a sweet, champagne-flavored icing that dries hard and looks gorgeous adorned with sprinkles.

What You Need to Make Champagne Star Cookies

ingredients to make star cookies

Let’s talk about just a few of the ingredients above before we get started…

  • Champagne. This goes in the icing only. We reduce this for a strong, distinct flavor (more on this below). Choose a champagne that you enjoy drinking, sparkling wine would also work!
  • Butter. Use unsalted butter and then we’ll add a bit of salt. This should be softened, but not so soft that the exterior is greasy or oily. We’re also melting an additional two tablespoons of butter and mixing that into the icing, which adds another subtle dimension to the frosting (similar to my petit four icing, only it dries harder and more shiny!).
  • Egg yolk. We are using the yolk only, (save the white to go towards meringues!). This enriches the dough and helps to make for a tender cookie, whereas the white would actually make the final cookie a bit more crumbly and dry and would make the cookies more prone to spreading in the oven.
  • Flour. Use all-purpose flour.

This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

Champagne Icing

champagne that has been reduced in a blue measuring cup

What makes these cookies “Champagne cookies” is their distinctly champagne-flavored icing. In order to achieve this taste, we must start by reducing our champagne (which simply means we’re cooking out most of the water). I always start by preparing this first, even though we won’t actually need it until the cookies are baked and it’s time to make our icing. You want to give this plenty of time to completely cool, so best to do it right away!

Reducing the champagne is a simple step, but it’s critical for an obvious champagne flavor. Start with 1 1/2 cups of champagne or sparkling wine and cook it on the stovetop until you’re left with less than just 1/3 cup. Champagne contains a lot of water, so when we heat it on the stovetop, much of that water cooks out (as does the alcohol!), leaving behind a potent reduction with a powerful champagne flavor.

This packs a much more flavorful punch than if we were to use straight champagne. In fact, if we didn’t reduce it, the flavor would be quite watered down and you might not even be able to even identify the flavor when you tasted the cookies.

Cookie Dough

cutting star shapes out of cookie dough

The cookie dough base is a basic one (I’ve used it for my heart cookies and it’s similar to my popular butter cookies). I don’t actually use any champagne in the dough, instead it’s vanilla flavored, which complements the champagne surprisingly well.

After a lot of testing, I wasn’t impressed with the minimal flavor imparted by actually including champagne in the dough. It was difficult to pick up the flavor without compromising the texture of the final cookie (even a small amount made the cookies dry and they lost their shape in their oven). Ultimately I found it was best to use a standard, buttery sugar-cookie-esque dough and limit the champagne flavor to the icing.

Thanks to our icing, you won’t miss the flavor in the dough and instead the cookie and icing complement each other nicely instead of yielding an overbearing, one-dimensional flavor.

Tip: If your dough seems a bit too sticky, just dust your counter and the surface of the dough generously with flour as needed until it’s easy to manage. Lift the dough several times with a spatula as you’re rolling it out and dust beneath it as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

dipping a star-shaped cookie into champagne icing

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my dough too stiff or crumbly?

Most often this happens if you accidentally over-measured your flour (unfortunately this is a common baking mistake). Be sure to check out my post on how to measure flour!
If you chilled your dough longer than the time indicated, it also might become very stiff and difficult to roll out. Just let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes or so until it’s soft enough to roll without cracking.

Why is my dough too sticky/soft?

If your butter is too warm or became too warm from over-mixing, the dough could become too soft or sticky. Chilling for a longer period of time and generously dusting your countertop and the dough with flour will help with this.

Can I color the icing?

Yes! This icing takes food coloring well.

What do I do if my icing is too runny or too stiff?

Easy fix! For icing that is too runny, simply add more powdered sugar. For icing that is too stiff. Thin it with a splash more champagne. If you’ve used all of your champagne reduction, you can add bit of non-reduced champagne (since you won’t need much at all).

Does the icing dry hard?

Yes. Once it has dried completely the frosting dries hard (not as hard as royal icing, but firm enough to stack, much like the frosting on my sugar cookies). It may take several hours for the icing to dry all the way through.

star cookies with champagne icing and sprinkles on marble

More Recipes You Might Like

  • Hot Chocolate Bombs
  • Angel Food Cake
  • Champagne Granita
  • Raspberry Chardonnay Trifles

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card! 

star cookies on a white plate

Champagne Star Cookies

Something fun and a little different for your New Year's Eve party, bridal shower, or any occasion that calls for a champagne celebration! These Champagne Star Cookies are simple buttery sugar cookies topped with a rich champagne infused frosting.
Be sure to check out the how-to video!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: champagne cookies, champagne dessert, new years eve cookies, new years eve dessert, wedding dessert
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 50 cookies (using my star cookie cutter)
Calories: 101kcal
Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups your favorite champagne (355ml) (or sparkling wine)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (295g)

Champagne Icing

  • 3 cups powdered sugar (375g)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter melted (salted or unsalted will work)
  • reduced champagne (this is not additional champagne, you will just be using the reduced champagne from above)
  • Sprinkles or colored sugar for decorating

Recommended Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Star-shaped cookie cutters (I used 2” stars)

Instructions

Champagne Reduction

  • Begin by preparing your champagne. Pour it into a small saucepan over medium/high heat until simmering and cook until it is reduced to ¼-⅓ cup (60-80ml). This will take some time, possibly 10-15 minutes or so.
  • Once reduced, pour into a heatproof container and allow to cool completely while you prepare your cookies.

Cookies

  • In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well-creamed.
  • Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt and stir well. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are well-combined.
  • With the mixer on low-speed, gradually add flour until it is completely incorporated. Do this slowly and make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically, this is a dry dough so it will take a bit of stirring to get it to all come together. Don’t over-mix it either, however, or the dough will be sticky and need to be chilled for longer.
  • Transfer dough to a clean surface and form it into a 1” (2.5cm) thick disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and up to 5 days¹. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (175C).
  • Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll it out to about ¼” thick (if dough seems sticky, return it to the fridge for longer or dust more flour on it).
  • Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes (make as many cuts as you can, then re-group the scraps, re-roll and cut out even more cookies!) and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet² and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown.
  • Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before covering with icing.

Champagne Icing & Assembly

  • Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, and 2-3 Tablespoons champagne. Add more champagne as needed until the icing reaches a consistency where it falls in a ribbon from the whisk and holds its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into the bowl. You may not need all of the champagne you have (see note 3 if you don’t have enough champagne).
  • Grip a cookie firmly by the base and dip into the champagne icing. Return cookie to cooling rack and decorate immediately with sprinkles. Allow frosting to harden completely before enjoying (this usually takes 1-3 hours).

Notes

¹If you chill the dough longer than an hour it may be a bit difficult to roll. Just let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or until it rolls without cracking.
²If you don’t have parchment paper, just bake directly on an ungreased baking sheet
³It’s unlikely you would need more champagne unless you have accidentally over-measured your sugar. However, if you do need more you can either reduce more champagne, or if you just need a small bit more liquid, add un-reduced champagne to reach the proper consistency.
Storing: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
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champagne star cookies on a white plate

Filed Under: Cookies

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Comments

  1. Sue Lawson says

    December 30, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    5 stars
    OMG!!! These are amazing! And they taste as festive as they look! Perfect for New Year’s Eve… if they last that long! 😉

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 30, 2020 at 9:40 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sue! 🙂

      Reply
  2. hana says

    December 29, 2020 at 3:49 pm

    hi sam i love your blog you have so many informations and you know alot of things about baking i wish one day to become like you

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 30, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      Thank you so much, Hana! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Mary Rose says

    December 28, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    5 stars
    Sam- you are THE BEST! I love the way you explain not only what to do, but why to do it. I am 71 snd have been baking – a lot- for many years, but I always learn something new from you. I haven’t tried these champagne stars yet, but I’ll do them in time for New Year’s Eve.

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 28, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      Thank you so much! I hope you love these too! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Dorothy Surface says

    December 28, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    Looks so good! Would even be nice for a wedding, or anniversary, retirement, etc!!!!!

    Reply
  5. Nicole says

    December 28, 2020 at 11:14 am

    Where did you find those gorgeous sprinkles?! Can you please leave a link? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

    Reply
    • Sam says

      December 28, 2020 at 9:27 pm

      Hi Nicole! I found some gold sprinkles at target that I can’t seem to find a link to and then I threw is some of my stockpile of sprinkles. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful. 🙁

      Reply
      • Marci says

        December 30, 2020 at 10:41 pm

        I found them at Michaels, but have also seen them at JoAnn Fabrics.

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The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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