I’m not crazy about eggnog, BUT I think this might be my favorite way to consume it.  These cookies turned out so soft and sweet with a hint of nutmeg.  Real eggnog goes into the cookie dough and the icing for a perfect holiday treat.  I needed a plate of Christmas goodies to take to my daughter’s dance recital. I made a batch the night before and they were mostly gone the next morning. SO I doubled this recipe the second time around! Thanks to www.mommyskitchen.net for the inspiration! I’ve adapted it slightly here.

1 stick soft butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon rum flavor

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup eggnog (original recipe says use 1/2 to 1 cup of egg nog depending on the dough)

Combine butter and sugar and beat with mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, vanilla, and rum flavor.  Beat until well mixed.  Combine the nutmeg, flour, soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add it alternately with the egg nog to the butter sugar mixture.

Next the original reicpe says to:

“Start by adding a 1/2 cup of eggnog and if you feel that the dough is too thick you can up to 1 cup.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. I used my small cookie scoop for this. Flatten down the cookie dough just a bit and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Watch them closely they may not take the full 10 minutes, depending on your oven.

The cookies are done when they are golden brown around the edges but still light in color on top. Test the cookies with a toothpick to make sure they are done. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack, cool completely and frost.”

I used the full cup of egg nog both times I made these BUT the dough was not stiff enough to form balls, just right for using a dough scoop.  And I found that if I allowed the cookies to brown around the edges for the full cooking time, they were more cake like in consistency.  We like our cookies very moist so the preferred cooking time was under 10 minutes in my convection bake oven.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

For the Eggnog Frosting:

3 Tablespoons softened butter

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup eggnog

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring

dash of nutmeg

To make the frosting, blend soft butter and powdered sugar together in a large bowl.  Add the vanilla extract and rum flavor.  Then add the eggnog and blend with a mixer until icing is light and fluffy.  Add the nutmeg and mix well.  Frost cooled cookies.  Then mix 4 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg together. Sprinkle mixture over top of icing. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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