As I type this, Christmas is just a few days away. And as is common in many households, we have the container of eggnog which, after that first wonderful glass, is still sitting there in the refrigerator. Your friends and family will fall in love with eggnog all over again when you make these cookies. These cookies are perfect: Slightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and with the wonderful taste of eggnog, they will have everyone at your cookie exchange wanting your recipe.
The Inside Scoop
When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.
This is a very easy cookie to make. However, avoid over-stirring the cookie dough. Too much stirring will cause gluten to develop and will make a tough cookie. Stir gently just until ingredients are combined and cookie dough is fairly smooth.
This cookie dough, when first combined, is too sticky to shape into a ball. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour or over night until the cookie dough is chilled and firm. After the cookie dough is formed into balls, flatten the cookies SLIGHTLY so that the cookies bake with an even thickness.
Be sure to allow 3″ of space between cookies so that cookies have room to rise while baking. Bake until there is the slightest hint of browning around the edges.
These cookies are wonderful plain or with an eggnog frosting. If you choose to frost the cookies, place the parchment paper on which the cookies were baked under the cooling racks to catch any frosting drips. Frost only 2-3 cookies at a time and then top the frosting with the freshly grated nutmeg; the nutmeg won’t stick if the frosting sets.
For a thicker icing, top each cookie with 1 ½ teaspoons of icing and spread with a knife. For quick and easy icing, make the frosting slightly thinner and dip the top of the cookies into the icing. Place the cookies back on the cooling rack and let the excess icing drip onto the parchment paper under the cooling rack.
For everyone who likes eggnog, these cookies are perfect: Slightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and with the wonderful taste of eggnog, they will have everyone at your cookie exchange wanting your recipe. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggnog, vanilla extract and eggnog flavoring, if using. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the slowest speed setting to cream together the butter and granulated sugar. Or, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar by hand. Add the flour and eggnog to the creamed butter and sugar, alternating between 1/3 of the flour and ½ of the eggnog, ending with the last 1/3 of flour. Cover the bowl of cookie dough with a lid or plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight. When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. For a medium sized cookie, measure out 1 ½ ounces of dough for each cookie. Roll the cookie dough into a ball and flatten it just slightly. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 3” of space between cookies. Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 22-23 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to show color. Adjust baking time for larger or smaller cookies. When done, remove the cookie sheets from the oven and place on cooling racks. Let the cookies cool for about 3 minutes, then remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place directly on the cooling racks. Let cool completely. Place the parchment paper from the baking sheets under the cooling racks. To make the optional frosting, combine the powdered sugar and eggnog in a small bowl. Use 4 tablespoons of eggnog for a thicker icing that needs to be spread on the cookies with a knife. Use 5 tablespoons of eggnog for a thinner icing into which the top of the cookies can be dipped. Stir together until smooth. If you prefer to spread the icing, use 1 ½ teaspoons of icing per cookie. Grate fresh nutmeg over the cookies before the icing sets. If you prefer to dip your cookies, dip the top of the cookies into the thinner icing. Place the cookies back on the cooling rack and let the excess icing drip onto the parchment paper under the cooling rack. Grate fresh nutmeg on top before the icing sets. Enjoy! Makes 22 1½ ounce cookies.Eggnog Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
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