Eggnog Cookies

Get in the Holiday Spirit

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 12 mins

Total: 27 mins

Servings: 10 to 12 servings

Yield: 22 to 24 cookies

I can’t think of anything that screams holiday cookie exchange more than eggnog cookies. These crackly melt-in-your-mouth cookies ooze holiday spirit thanks in part to an actual spirit—in this case rum—but mostly because of the warm fuzzies we get at just the thought of eggnog.

To infuse the cookie dough with eggnog-like flavor, this recipe calls for a combination of the drink itself along with rum, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.

The Origins of Eggnog

This iconic Christmas cocktail has roots in Medieval England, where it was called a “posset” containing wine, milk, and sometimes eggs. Originally served as a cold and flu remedy until the 1700s, it was then adopted into American culture that it quickly became a holiday staple. If we’re being honest, drinking eggnog is like drinking a spiked ice cream base so it’s easy to see how it finagled its way to becoming a now beloved cookie flavor.

Tips For the Best Ever Eggnog Cookies

Because we want these cookies to be crackly, yet chewy, here are a few tips to follow:

Use a portion scoop for evenly sized cookies—I highly recommend getting a set of cookie scoops. This will make all your cookies uniform in size and shape. For these cookies I used a 1 tablespoon scoop.
Get them evenly golden brown—Rotate and switch the positions of the pans in the oven halfway through the cooking time to ensure even baking and a golden-brown color all along the edge.
Cool completely—Make sure the cookies are completely cool before decorating with the icing.

Make Ahead

The dough can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and scooped and baked à la minute. If baked straight out of the fridge the cookies will be more domed and less flat, which is neither good nor bad… just personal preference.

“These festive cookies are so chewy and delicious, it is impossible to stop at just one! Make sure to leave ample space between the dough balls on your baking sheet, as they do spread while baking.” —Julia Hartbeck

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons dark rum, divided, optional
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
7 tablespoons store-bought or homemade eggnog, divided
1 cup (114 grams) confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

For the Cookies

Gather the ingredients.
Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Position 2 racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 350 F.
Whisk together 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
Cream together 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature and 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium low speed for 10 seconds then continue to paddle on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, add 2 large egg yolks, and paddle on medium speed until combined.
Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides again, add 1 tablespoon dark rum, if using, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and paddle for another 20 seconds on medium speed.
With the mixer running on medium-low speed, drizzle in 4 tablespoons eggnog until fully combined. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then continue to mix for another 2 minutes until light, fluffy, and smooth, not curdled.
Add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer back on the lowest speed so you don’t end up with a flour and spice explosion in your face. Once the dust has cleared, turn the machine up to medium-low speed to finish incorporating all the dry ingredients.
Use a cookie scoop or spoons to drop 1 tablespoon portions of dough onto the baking sheets making sure to space them at least 3 inches apart. There should be a maximum of 6 cookies per sheet (they spread a lot).
Bake in batches, rotating the baking sheets in the oven half way through cooking time, until the edges start to turn golden brown and the centers are set, 9 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheets on wire racks or trivets to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the icing.
Combine 1 cup (114 grams) confectioners' sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons eggnog, and the remaining 1 tablespoon dark rum, if using, in a small bowl and whisk to combine. You can adjust the viscosity by adding more powdered sugar or eggnog.
Once the cookies have completely cooled, drizzle or top them with the icing and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg on top to finish.

How to Store and Freeze

• The cookies will stay fresh for 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

• You can pre-scoop cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 3 hours before transferring them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Don’t like rum? Try brandy, cognac, sherry, whiskey, or bourbon.
Instead of icing, try rolling the scoops of dough in some granulated sugar laced with a little cinnamon and nutmeg for more of a snickerdoodle effect.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories	321
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g	17%
Saturated Fat 8g	39%
Cholesterol 82mg	27%
Sodium 192mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 47g	17%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 49mg	4%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 56mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.