These crunchy eggnog sugar cookies are a festive addition to any Christmas gathering. Egg yolks, rum flavoring, and lots and lots of nutmeg give them all the flavor of the classic holiday drink – without the calories.
In my world, the holiday season doesn’t start until I’ve poured my first glass of aged eggnog.
I love it – I have ever since I was a little kid. These days I’ve switched to coconut nog and, even though it’s still delicious, it’s not quite the same as the real deal.
I thought I’d make up for it by incorporating eggnog flavors into other things, starting with these sugar cookies.
These cookies don’t have any actual eggnog in them, but they do use all of the ingredients that give eggnog it’s distinctive flavor: egg yolks, cream (in the form of butter), rum flavoring, a touch of cinnamon, and lots and lots of fresh nutmeg.
They’re crispy and not too sweet, so they’re perfect as an afternoon snack alongside a cup of coffee or tea.
These eggnog sugar cookies were my contribution to this year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, an annual cookie exchange that raises money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (last year I made cinnamon chipotle crinkle cookies.)
It always amazes me how participants’ cookies criss-cross the country in order to get to their final destinations. I sent a dozen cookies each to Cyndi from My Kitchen Craze, Elizabeth from Cooking with Milton, and Jessica from Stuck on Sweet. In return, I received some delicious citrusy from my friend Bree at Baked Bree, double chocolate chip cookies from Donna at Dang That’s Delicious and German almond crescents from Alexis at Lexi Bites.
Ingredients
- 2 stick butter
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons rum flavoring or vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg preferably freshly grated
For rolling:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, use an electric beater to mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and rum flavoring.
- In a second bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and nutmeg.
- For teaspoon-sized portions of dough into balls; roll in the spiced sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are cracked and the top looks dry. Cool on a wire rack.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Eggnog + cookies? That is basically my weakness and I want them all.
I don’t think I’ve ever had eggnog flavored cookies. What!? Seriously, they sound and look delicious, I totally need to try them.
Anyone who would have received these in the mail would be thrilled. They look wonderful! I too participated in the #fbcookieswap and had a wonderful time. We raised an awesome amount of money!
This was the first year I participated in the exchange and I loved it. Your cookies sounds fantastic.
I love how easy this recipe is!! I never had egg nog flavored cookies before so I’m super curious about trying some 🙂
Where’s the eggnog?! Bwahahah 😀 You better send me a dozen just so I can verify they do taste like eggnog 😉
I like how there isn’t any eggnog in these because I never have it. 😉 Love how thick and chewy they look!
I have got to make some vegan eggnog so I can make these cookies. They look and sound delicious!
What a perfect combination for a cookie!
I pretty much want to eat a bunch of these eggnog cookies…and then chase them down with a cup of real eggnog. Because…eggnog. Ha. Love it!