It’s Christmas week! The buzz is in the air, at least in the air that surrounds my immediate area. Although we were just informed that our usual spot for Christmas Eve has been canceled this year, and although Mini Me is pretty blue and keeps saying that it doesn’t feel like Christmas this year, I still think that everyone should be feeling the buzz by now. And if not, create some buzz for yourselves! It may not be our usual Christmas, but it’s still Christmas. And we’re still baking cookies over here. And I know just the cookie to get the buzz buzzing around this house – Eggnog Cookies with Vanilla Rum Buttercream. They are another perennial, a treasured favorite of both The Prince and my dad (neither of whom, interestingly enough, enjoy actual eggnog).
Yes, these cookies actually taste like eggnog! And it’s no surprise why. Eggnog, after all, is a simple blend of milk, eggs and sugar. There’s something so completely indulgent and cozy about curling up by the fire with a glass of eggnog. I like to grate a little fresh nutmeg onto the top and garnish it with a cinnamon stick. Oh, and of course, I’ll spike it with a little bourbon or dark rum. I’ll typically go with bourbon because of some yucky experiences with rum in college. Can anyone relate?
Anyway, the basic ingredients of eggnog are pretty easy to duplicate in a cookie. A little pinch of nutmeg and you’ve got a drink you can chew. The texture of these Eggnog Cookies with Vanilla Rum Buttercream is moist and almost cakey. When they bake, they get a little crust on the outside, and when you bite into them they’re nice and soft. They’re simple and tasty on their own, but once you lay that vanilla rum frosting on top, they become next level cookies. I’ll admit, I have trouble with the frosting. I have to really exercise self control because I just want to eat it right off the spoon. The little bit of rum doesn’t freak me out, and because bourbon would alter the color of the frosting, I recommend using rum. The clear kind.
The dough for these Eggnog Cookies with Vanilla Rum Buttercream is pliable and easy to roll and cut into shapes. But there have been times when I just didn’t feel like getting fancy, and I’ve just dropped the dough in rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, slathered the frosting on top and maybe sprinkled them with a little colored sugar. They taste the same regardless of how you slice them, so feel free to be lazy. Especially this year, it might actually be advised.
I can’t wait to bake up a batch of these cookies for The Prince today – they always get him right into the holiday spirit. Enjoy!
The Cookies
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
The Frosting
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. white rum
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg and salt. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combine. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out onto a flour surface and cut into desired shapes. Alternately, drop the dough in rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, until cookies are set and slightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet.
To make the frosting, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Use a piping bag to make designs or simply spread on top of the cooled cookies.
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