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It’s the holiday season and we’re baking cookies! And I know just the holiday cookies to get the buzz buzzing around this house – eggnog cut out cookies with an amazing vanilla rum frosting.
These soft, frosted cookies are a perennial – a treasured favorite of both The Prince and my dad (neither of whom, interestingly enough, enjoy actual eggnog). If you’re an actual eggnog lover like I am, even better!
The dough for these soft eggnog cookies is pliable and easy to roll and cut into shapes. It’s one of the friendlier doughs for cookie cutting, and you will feel proud of how pretty they come out!
What is eggnog anyway?
Yes, these Christmas cookies actually taste like homemade eggnog! And it’s no surprise why.
Eggnog, after all, is just a simple blend of milk, eggs and sugar. It’s very rich, thick and perfect for this time of year.
But there’s no real eggnog in these cookies. We are just mimicking its flavor in cookie form.
Ingredients
The basic ingredients of eggnog are pretty easy to duplicate in a cookie. Here’s what you’ll need:
- all-purpose flour
- unsalted butter
- egg
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- nutmeg
- salt
The frosting also adds to the authentic eggnog flavor by incorporating a hint of rum (which is often added to eggnog when we’re feeling extra festive).
Here are the simple ingredients:
- melted butter
- powdered sugar
- milk
- white rum (or substitute rum extract)
How to Make Eggnog Cookies
Make the cookie dough
Grab your stand mixer or hand mixer for this part. We’re going to beat the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together first.
Then, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients (flour, nutmeg and salt) until a soft dough forms.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for at least one hour. Chilled dough is much easier to roll out and cut into shapes.
Cut the dough into shapes
Roll the chilled dough out onto a floured surface and cut it into festive shapes. There are so many beautiful cookie cutter sets out there.
I find most of my cookie cutters, like the snowflake designs you see here, on Amazon.
Bake the Cookies
These chewy cookies won’t turn a golden brown when you bake them, so be sure to watch for the edges.
Like a sugar cookie, the edges will get browner and a little crust will form. That’s how you’ll know that they’re done.
Make the Eggnog Frosting
Use a whisk to combine all of the frosting ingredients in a small bowl. Then, fill your piping bag with the frosting.
Frost the cookies
The consistency of the eggnog icing is perfect for piping designs and borders on cookies.
For these snowflake cookies, I piped the borders, then added 1 additional tablespoon of milk to the frosting to thin it out in order to fill in the insides.
And the silver and white sugar pearls can be found in many craft stores, supermarkets and – when all else fails – Amazon.
Do you have to cut and decorate these cookies?
This eggnog cookie recipe tastes the same, no matter what shape the cookies are.
While there’s something so Zen about turning on Christmas music, pouring a big mug of hot cocoa and sitting down to decorate cookies, we don’t always have the time.
In these cases, go ahead and drop the dough in rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, slather the frosting on top and sprinkle them with a little colored sugar. Still delicious!
How to Store Eggnog Cut Out Cookies
For best results, arrange these delicious cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. If you want to stack them, place a piece of parchment paper in between the layers of cookies and handle them carefully.
They’ll stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature.
The dough also freezes beautifully! Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a large freezer bag. Let it thaw at room temperature before baking, and then follow the instructions in the recipe card below.
When you make your own batch of delicious eggnog cookies, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more Christmas cookie recipes, try these:
- Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies
- Easy Cinnamon Chip Cookies
- Peppermint Mocha Sandwich Cookies
- Vanilla Almond Smash Cookies
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Eggnog Cut Out Cookies
Ingredients
The Cookies
- 2 cups 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
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla at medium speed to combine. (Alternatively, use a large bowl and a handheld electric mixer.)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg and salt. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. 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. Alternatively, use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set and slightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
- 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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