Egg Nog Cookies

Confession: I'm not a huge egg nog fan. Technically, before these cookies, I wasn't at all a egg nog fan. But I've seen the light in that the subtle flavor can add some lovely goodness to the right cookie. I added this cookie to the rotation because my brother really likes egg nog, and there are some others, Dave included, who enjoy the flavor. These egg nog cookies are light with a gentle crunch and the sweet glaze gets a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg to mimic a glass of the creamy beverage. So, yes, as far as these cookies are concerned, I'm an egg nog fan.

I hope my brother realizes how lucky he is. Every once and a while, I come across a cookie recipe that reminds me of a certain person, and therefore everyone is subjected to the flavor so I can include it in the Christmas tins. Clearly, an egg nog cookie screams "put me in the Christmas tin" (listen carefully), so I'm glad I made them. The recipe came from Kelly at Mostly Homemade Mom, but I made a couple of adjustments, including adding a bit of rum to the cookie dough and rum extract to the glaze. And the fresh grated nutmeg sprinkled over the glaze was another addition. Santa will love these cookies and I'm sure any other egg nog fans in your house will be happy as well. Grab some egg nog, whip up these cookies, then curl up and wait for Santa to visit.

Egg Nog Cookies

Ingredients for cookies

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/14 cups sugar
3/4 cup egg nog
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, beat butter until creamy, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy.

Mix in egg nog, egg yolks, rum, and vanilla extract until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Gradually add flour mixture to egg nog mixture, stirring until just combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets.

Bake cookies at 300 degrees F for 20-23 minutes until edges are set and gently golden. Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

Let cool on pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

While cookies cool, prepare the glaze.

Ingredients  for glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons egg nog
1/4 teaspoon rum extract 
1 whole nutmeg, for grating

In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar. Combine egg nog and rum in a small bowl, then stir into powdered sugar until smooth, adding more egg nog as needed to reach desired consistency.

Using the back of a spoon, spread glaze over cooled cookies. Note: place waxed paper or a flexible cutting mat under the wire racks to catch any glaze that may drip over the edges.

Using a fine grater, grate nutmeg over glazed cookies, allowing a dusting over each cookie.

Allow glaze to harden before storing in an airtight container, placing waxed paper between the layers.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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