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If you look forward to that first glass of eggnog every holiday season, these cookies are for you! Eggnog cookies are soft and cakey and filled with the flavors of eggnog. Topped with an eggnog icing and sprinkle of nutmeg, these holiday cookies are bound to be your new favorite!

White plate filled with eggnog cookies with a red mug of eggnog in the background.
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What are some of your favorite holiday cookies?

Peanut butter blossoms are always a must around here. I have friends who can’t get through a holiday season without gingerbread cookies or frosted ginger cookies, and others who go wild for snowball cookies.

This is the year that eggnog cookies get added to the holiday-must list. These sweet cookies are soft and cakey with just a bit of chewiness to them and could not be more delicious.

Overhead view of iced eggnog cookies on a wire cooling rack.

WHAT ARE EGGNOG COOKIES?

People who love eggnog really love eggnog. I have friends who wait all year long for that first sip of eggnog during the holiday season.

I’m not really a fan of drinking eggnog thanks to the texture, but I do love the flavor of eggnog in baked goods.

Luckily, I can whip up a batch of these eggnog cookies to enjoy that nutmeg-forward flavor in cookie form.

Dry ingredients for eggnog cookie dough being whisked together in a glass mixing bowl.

I spent a lot of time researching before I made these cookies. I knew that if I was going to make a batch of eggnog cookies, they needed to have real eggnog in them. 

A lot of recipes I saw only had a small amount of eggnog in the dough. In addition to making sure mine had a full cup of eggnog, I decided to complement the eggnog with ingredients like brown sugar and nutmeg to really round out the flavors.

These cookies are soft and a bit cakey (similar to iced pumpkin cookies) and are topped with a simple eggnog icing and a sprinkle of nutmeg. They are simple yet elegant, and have been a big hit with the eggnog lovers in my life!

Wet ingredients for eggnog cookies being mixed in a white bowl.

HOW TO MAKE EGGNOG COOKIES

These eggnog cookies are a pretty simple drop cookie. No rolling or cutting, so they’re a nice balance to some of the more labor-intensive holiday cookies you might have on your list.

What kind of eggnog should you use?

I wanted my eggnog cookies to be kid friendly, so I used a nonalcoholic eggnog that I bought at the grocery store.

You can usually find eggnog in the dairy section starting in early November.

Eggnog cookie dough being mixed in a white mixing bowl.

Keep in mind that I used a traditional eggnog, not a flavored eggnog.

If you are planning to feed these to a group of adults, you can go the boozy route and use a spiked eggnog. Keep in mind that most of the alcohol will bake off from the cookies themselves (leaving just the flavor behind), but that the icing will retain the alcohol since it is not cooked.

If you need this recipe to be dairy free, try using my friend Susannah’s dairy-free eggnog. Make sure to use vegan butter as well if you go this route to ensure the recipe is entirely dairy free.

Unbaked eggnog cookie dough portioned onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

What kind of nutmeg should you use?

Nutmeg is one of the main flavors in eggnog, so it’s a pretty important part of this recipe.

Because of this, you will want to use really fresh nutmeg. I always recommend buying whole nutmeg and grating it yourself as you need it using a microplane.

Store whole nutmeg in a jar in your pantry pretty much indefinitely. 

If you buy pre-ground nutmeg at the store, the flavor is just not the same, even if you use it right away. You’ll notice a much better nutmeg flavor if you grate it yourself.

Eggnog icing ingredients next to a wire cooling rack filled with baked eggnog cookies.

Making this recipe

Start by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set this aside for now.

Using a mixer, beat the brown sugar and granulated sugar with the butter until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes. 

Add in the eggnog, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is smooth, then gradually add in the dry ingredients until the dough is just combined.

This dough is pretty soft and sticky, so cover it and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe.

Wire rack filled with iced eggnog cookies.

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 300°F. I know this is low for a cookie recipe, but I promise it’s correct! These cookies bake low and slow.

Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, then bake for about 20-25 minutes. You want the edges to just be golden.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies have cooled, beat together the icing ingredients. Spread the icing on the cookies and sprinkle the tops with more nutmeg or even some sparkling sugar while the icing is still wet.

Two stacked eggnog cookies with a third leaning against the stack. More cookies are visible in the background.

STORAGE TIPS

If you are planning to eat these cookies within a day, they are fine to leave out at room temperature.

If you need to store the cookies, I recommend storing them in the fridge due to the eggnog in the icing. 

Place them in an airtight container with pieces of parchment or wax paper between the layers of cookies and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze the cookie dough to bake some of the cookies later! Simply follow my instructions for how to freeze cookie dough

Make these eggnog cookies for an eggnog fanatic in your life. They’ll be so happy that you did.

Three stacked eggnog cookies. The top cookie has a bite taken out of it.
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Eggnog Cookies

By: Jamie
4.57 from 16 ratings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
If you look forward to that first glass of eggnog every holiday season, these cookies are for you! Eggnog cookies are soft and cakey and filled with the flavors of eggnog. Topped with an eggnog icing and sprinkle of nutmeg, these holiday cookies are bound to be your new favorite!

Ingredients

For the icing:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • ¼ cup eggnog
  • sparkling sugar or extra nutmeg for sprinkling optional

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  • Beat sugars and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add eggnog, egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture at low speed until just combined.
  • Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  • Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until edges are just golden, about 20-25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Once the cookies have cooled completely, prepare the icing.
  • Add the butter, powdered sugar, and eggnog to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase speed to high and mix for 2-3 minutes.
  • Spread icing onto cookies. If desired, sprinkle with sparkling coarse sugar or additional nutmeg while the icing is still wet.

Video

Notes

If eating within a day, cookies are fine to leave at room temperature. If storing, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, within pieces of parchment paper between the layers of cookies, for up to 3 days. 
Helpful resources:

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 75mg, Potassium: 42mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 235IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

4.57 from 16 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. Emily says:

    I’m super excited to make these! It’s hard finding an eggnog recipe that actually uses eggnog! I’m going to substitute the granulated and brown sugar for correlating erythritol & monk fruit alternatives because we are a sugar-free household.

    I will let you know how they turn out!

    1. Jamie says:

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Emily! Look forward to hearing how they turn out for you!
      Jamie

  2. Leslie Lynn says:

    To think eggnog couldn’t get any better oh yummiest I can not wait to make these,I love eggnog so does hubby eggnog was hard to find last year but readily available this year,wish I was in your kitchen to be the sample gal,I always thought of making eggnog cookies and you did yeah.
    Merry Christmas

    1. Jamie says:

      Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Leslie! Happy baking!

  3. Judy says:

    Do you have a recipe for eggnog muffins or cake using plenty of eggnog?

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi Judyย โ€“ I don’t have a recipe for either of those yet, but I’ll put them on the list for next year! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Happy baking โ€“
      Jamie