Eggnog Cookies

By
Clarice Lam
Clarice lam
Clarice Lam
Clarice is a pastry chef with over a decade of writing and creating recipes. Having lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, and NYC in the United States; Canada, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Mexico, South Africa, France, Spain, and the UK, Clarice has had a lifetime of studying cuisines from around the globe.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Published on 10/14/22
Tested by
Julia Hartbeck
Tested by Julia Hartbeck
Julia is a professional food photographer and stylist based in England. She loves nothing more than reading cookbooks cover-to-cover and traveling the world to sample international cuisines.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
eggnog cookies on a plate

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 27 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Yield: 22 to 24 cookies
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
319 Calories
13g Fat
46g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 319
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 8g 39%
Cholesterol 82mg 27%
Sodium 244mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 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.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

I can't think of anything that screams holiday cookie exchange more than eggnog cookies. These melt in your mouth crackly 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.

This iconic cocktail has roots in Medieval England, where it was called a “posset” which contained wine, milk, and sometimes eggs, and was served as a cold and flu remedy. It wasn’t until the 1700s when it was 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 cookie flavor.

“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

Eggnog Cookies/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

  • 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons 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 confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

For the Cookies

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients to make eggnog cookies

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Position 2 racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 350 F.

    cookie sheets lined with parchment paper

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.

    eggnog cookie dry ingredients in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Cream together the butter and 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.

    creamed butter and sugar in a stand mixer

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, add the yolks, and paddle on medium speed until combined.

    creamed sugar and butter in a stand mixer

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides again, and 1 tablespoon of the rum, if using, and vanilla extract and paddle for another 20 seconds on medium speed.

    creamed eggnog batter in stand mixer

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the 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.

    creamed eggnog batter in a stand mixer

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  8. 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.

    eggnog cookie batter in a stand mixer

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  9. 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).

    eggnog cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  10. 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.

    baked eggnog cookies on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Meanwhile, make the icing.

    ingredients to make icing

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  12. Combine the confectioners' sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons of eggnog, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of rum, if using, in a small bowl and whisk to combine. You can adjust the viscosity by adding more powdered sugar or eggnog.

    icing in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  13. Once the cookies have completely cooled, drizzle or top them with the icing and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg on top to finish.

    iced eggnog cookies on a wire rack

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Recipe Tip

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.

Recipe Variations

• 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.

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.

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.