If your go-to drink is eggnog around the holiday season, you'll easily fall in love with these eggnog cookies. The eggnog cookie recipe takes everything you love about the classic holiday beverage and turns it into a cookie form.
One sip of eggnog, and it's hard not to be in the holiday spirit. The same goes for these eggnog cookies. The cookies have everything you love about the holiday drink — cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and even real eggnog to enhance the true flavor.
Eggnog Cookie Recipe
These cookies are basically the cousins to the snickerdoodle. They have a similar flavor profile and make for a great sweet treat. The warming flavors are in both the cookie and the eggnog, making them so warm and homey — perfect for the holiday season.
The cookies aren't the only part of this recipe showing off the eggnog flavors. The icing is all about the eggnog, too. The eggnog icing is what makes these cookies stand out from the rest of your holiday cookie selection (Sorry, chocolate peppermint cookies and ginger molasses cookies!). The icing is very similar to a buttercream frosting. The eggnog and heavy cream make it loose, so it isn't as thick as your typical buttercream frosting.
These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are a must-have while eggnog is on the shelf. They are an excellent addition to your Christmas cookie selection and great to add to your cookie swap!
Why I Love These Eggnog Cookies
- Warming Flavors - The bold, warming flavors are spread throughout the cookie and make for a perfect cold winter's night treat.
- Seasonal Favorite - When I see eggnog on the shelf, I know it's time to bring out these cookies and start the holiday baking season.
- Almost Too Pretty To Eat - The icing on these cookies gives them such a nice finishing touch. The cookies look almost too good to eat.
Ingredients Needed For Eggnog Cookies
See below for all the details on what you'll need to make the full recipe.
- Eggnog - Use store-bought eggnog for this recipe.
- Warming Spices - Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are used in the recipe.
- Powdered Sugar - Gives the icing its base.
- Cornstarch - Makes the cookies super soft.
- Brown Sugar - Keeps the cookies moist.
How To Make Eggnog Cookies
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients. Mix together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and warming spices.
- Wet Ingreidents. Cream the butter with the sugar. Then, add in the egg, vanilla, and egg nog. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
- Combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Form the cookies. Use a cookie scoop to form the cookies. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes in the oven, until the edges of the cookies set.
- Make the icing. While the cookies are baking, make the icing. Cream the butter, then add powdered sugar. When it starts to form, add the eggnog, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Stir until desired consistency is achieved.
- Cool and ice the cookies. Let the cookies cool completely before glazing. Use a spoon or offset spatula to ice the cookies. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy.
Make-Ahead and Storage
These cookies are best made the day off because of the icing. If you plan to make the cookies ahead of time, make the cookies, but do not frost them. Let the cookies come to room temperature before you frost them, and then sprinkle with cinnamon.
If you have any leftover cookies, store them in the freezer for 2-3 months. The frosting may stick to other cookies, so lay them flat or layer them with parchment paper to store.
Tips and Variations
- Icing Free - If you don't love the eggnog flavor but love a good winter spice cookie, leave off the icing. The cookies taste great without the icing.
- Room Temperature - When making the icing, make sure the butter is at room temperature. This will ensure that you don't have lumps in the icing.
- More Spices - If you want the spices to really shine through, add more spice to the icing when mixing in the eggnog to the frosting.
FAQs
For this recipe, it is best to use store-bought eggnog. It holds up better in the cookie dough.
Nope! The cookie dough can go right in the oven when it is ready.
Yes! Wait until the cookies are fully cooled before applying the icing. Otherwise, it will just side off and be very messy.
Eggnog Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup, 12 tbsp, unsalted butter, softened (1 ½ sticks)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup eggnog
Eggnog Icing
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3-5 tbsp eggnog
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set to the side.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Mix to combine and set to the side.
- In a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, and eggnog and mix. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 9-11 minutes. They will be soft when done. Let the cookies cool on the cookie for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- While the cookies are baking, make the icing. Cream the butter until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. When the icing starts to form, add in the eggnog, vanilla, and salt. Add more or less powdered sugar depending on how sweet you want the icing.
- Ice the cookies when they are completly cool using an offset spatula or a spoon. Sprinkle with cinnamon when done.
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