These soft and chewy eggnog cookies are lightly flavored with nutmeg and real eggnog. They’re easy to make and so delicious for the holidays!
This post is sponsored by Sprouts. As always, opinions are 100% my own—thank you for supporting the brands that make IBK possible!
Could a dessert scream HOLIDAY any louder than these eggnog cookies? I don’t think so!
And the best part is that I got everything for this recipe at Sprouts, my very favorite place to shop for organic ingredients.
I love shopping at Sprouts during the holidays because not only do they have all the standard ingredients I’m looking for, but I can always find something fun—like eggnog!—to incorporate into baked goods.
If you’re on the fence about the flavor of eggnog (like me) then don’t worry. These eggnog cookies aren’t super eggnog-forward. Really they’re more holiday-flavored than anything else.
Dust your cookies with a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg and they’re insanely good. Sweet and a little spicy and just a little eggnog-y. They’re my ideal treat to serve with coffee or hot cider!
Why you’ll love these eggnog cookies:
- The dough doesn’t need to chill before baking so you can get them in the oven that much faster
- Adding a little bit of cornstarch to the cookie dough ensures a soft and chewy cookie every time
- Both the dough and the cookies are freezer-friendly so you can always have a batch of cookies waiting to be gobbled up
How to make your cookies
- Sift together your dry ingredients
- Beat butter, vanilla, and nutmeg until very smooth
- Gradually beat in sugar and egg yolks
- With mixer on low, gradually beat in the dry ingredients
- Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and arrange on baking sheets
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are cracked on top
Once your cookies have cooled completely you’ll make the eggnog frosting.
- Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth
- Mix in eggnog, vanilla, and powdered sugar
- Spread frosting on the cookies and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg
Then serve and enjoy!
Can I freeze this cookie dough?
You sure can! Just shape the dough into balls, freeze the balls until solid (30 minutes at most) then transfer to freezer bags to store for up to 2 months.
I like to write the date on the bags so I know how long the dough has been in the freezer.
Bake directly from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
Recipe notes and tips
- Don’t use light or low-fat eggnog. Use the full fat stuff.
- Be sure the butter you use in both the cookies and the frosting is at room temperature so it mixes properly with the other ingredients.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies or they’ll be crunchy; you can under-bake them a little if you prefer them to be really soft.
- I pull the cookies out right at 10 minutes; they don’t look fully done but they finish baking in the minute you leave them on the baking sheets before transferring to wire racks.
- Cool your cookies completely before frosting them or the frosting will melt.
- You can top your cookies with sprinkles rather than (or along with) cinnamon and nutmeg, but the cinnamon and nutmeg give them a delicious spicy flavor.
- See above for the method if you wish to freeze your cookie dough. (It freezes really well!)
How to store your cookies
Uneaten cookies (should you have such a thing) can be layered with wax paper, in airtight containers, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
They can also be frozen (in airtight containers, layered with wax paper) for up to 2 months.
A few more recipes you might enjoy
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Nutmeg Logs
Chocolate Snowballs
Did you make these eggnog cookies? AWESOME! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. And post a pic on Instagram too! Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
Lightly flavored with nutmeg and eggnog, these soft and chewy cookies are perfect for the holidays!
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 to 7 tablespoons eggnog
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
- Cinnamon and nutmeg for sprinkling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside; these are your dry ingredients.
- Combine the butter, vanilla, and nutmeg in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth.
- With mixer on medium, gradually beat in the granulated sugar. Continue beating until very light and fluffy (this will take several minutes). Scrape down the sides and the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then beat in the eggnog.
- Turn mixer to low and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter-eggnog mixture; continue beating until a cohesive dough forms. Stir a few times with a spatula to ensure everything is fully combined.
- Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and arrange 2 inches apart on un-greased, unlined baking sheets.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are cracked on top and have mostly flattened out.
- Cool the cookies on baking sheets for 1 minute, then carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting them. (A thin metal spatula is helpful.)
- Once the cookies have cooled fully, make the frosting.
- Beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add 6 tablespoons of eggnog, the vanilla, and the salt and beat to combine.
- Turn mixer to low and gradually beat in 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. When the sugar is all mixed in, scrape down the bowl. Turn mixer to medium and beat frosting until very smooth.
- If your frosting is too thick, add a little bit more eggnog. If it’s too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
- Spread frosting on top of each cookie and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve.
- Store cookies, layered with wax paper, in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Cookies can also be frozen (in airtight containers) for up to 2 months.
- Don’t use light or low-fat eggnog. Use the full fat stuff.
- If you want, you can add 1 teaspoon of rum extract to the cookies and/or frosting; add it when you add the vanilla.
- You can freeze dough balls for up to 2 months. (Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then place in freezer bags.) Bake directly from the oven, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies or they’ll be crunchy; you can under-bake them a little if you prefer them to be really soft.
- I pull the cookies out right at 11 minutes but the time will vary with every oven; they don’t look fully done but they finish baking in the minute you leave them on the baking sheets before transferring to wire racks.
- Cool your cookies completely before frosting them or the frosting will melt.
- You can top your cookies with sprinkles rather than (or along with) cinnamon and nutmeg.
Kelley says
These cookies look fantastic! I will be adding these to my Christmas Cookie List!