Eggnog Cookies With Eggnog Icing

As an eggnog-loving household, I make these cookies every holiday season! Using egg yolks only and real eggnog gives these cookies their signature soft texture and rich flavor, while a simple eggnog icing adds just the right festive finish without overpowering the cookie.

My husband’s face lights up the every time I bring home or make eggnog. It’s not just for drinking in my house though, I put it in EVERYTHING! It makes its way into eggnog pancakes, eggnog French Toast, eggnog cheesecake, and many other desserts.

One of my favorite things to make with eggnog is a batch of these cookies. Kids wait very impatiently for the oven to ding and the cookies to cool. Even if you don’t love the eggnog itself, you’re going to LOVE these cookies.

Ingredient Notes and Substitution Options

Egg Yolks Only: This recipe uses egg yolks instead of whole eggs to create a richer dough and extra-soft, tender cookies. Egg whites can make cookies firmer, so leaving them out helps achieve that melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Eggnog: Use full-fat store-bought or homemade eggnog for the best flavor and texture. Light or low-fat eggnog won’t provide the same richness. If using homemade eggnog, make sure it’s well chilled and fully blended before adding it to the dough.

Rum Extract: Rum extract adds the classic eggnog flavor without alcohol and is highly recommended. If you don’t have rum extract, vanilla extract can be used instead, though the eggnog flavor will be slightly milder.

Nutmeg & Cinnamon: Nutmeg is essential for that traditional eggnog taste, while cinnamon adds warmth in the background. Freshly grated nutmeg gives the strongest flavor, but pre-ground works as well. For a spicier cookie, you can add an extra pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon to the dough.

AP (All Purpose) Flour: Measure flour carefully by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off. Packing flour into the cup can lead to dry, dense cookies (aka too much flour).

Icing Consistency (Eggnog Icing): The icing should be smooth and drizzle easily off a spoon. If it’s too thick, add eggnog 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

How to Make Soft Eggnog Cookies

Prepare the butter and eggs. Let the butter and eggs adjust to room temperature for about 45 minutes before you begin whipping up this recipe. 

Separate the yolks. Once the eggs are at room temp, separate the yolks from the whites. (You can discard the whites, or I like to save it and make egg white omelet or use in another recipe. Just make sure to cover, refrigerate, and use within a day.) 

Mix the butter and sugar. Your butter should be soft at this point, making this step easy. In an electronic mixer, beat these ingredients together on medium-high speed. After a while, scrape the bowl and beat for an additional minute, making sure everything is fully mixed.

Add rum extract and egg yolks. Keeping the speed at medium-high, toss in these ingredients and keep mixing until everything is fully incorporated. 

Add remaining ingredients. Lower the speed of your mixer and add everything else. The flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and eggnog are going to transform your mixture into the most mouthwatering cookie dough! Make sure you keep beating the dough just until everything is combined.

Expert Tip: The finished cookie dough should be soft and slightly sticky but easy to scoop. Avoid overmixing once the flour is added, overmixing can make the cookies dense instead of fluffy.

Scoop cookie dough. Once scooped, gently roll each ball of dough into a ball. Work quickly, placing each ball onto a prepared baking sheet. They’ll need to be about 2 inches apart, so they don’t bake into each other. 

Bake and cool the cookies. Let the cookies bake for about 11-13 minutes. Keep an eye on them! Once they’re baked, let them cool for a while on a wire rack before adding the homemade icing.

Expert Tip: When baked, the cookies should look set around the edges but still pale and soft in the center. They will continue to firm up slightly as they cool.

How to Make Eggnog Icing for Cookies

• PRO TIP: Make sure to prepare the icing when cookies are cooled and ready to be drizzled in icing.
• Prepare the ingredients. Place the powdered sugar and ground nutmeg in a bowl. Then, warm the eggnog for just a few seconds in the microwave. Once warmed, pour the eggnog into the bowl.
• Whisk the mixture. Keep whisking until there are no bumps from the powdered sugar. When the icing is completely smooth, it’s ready to go!

Drizzle the icing. If you have kids, this is the fun part for them! Drizzle the icing over the room temperature cookies. It can be as neat or as messy as you want – the cookies will be delicious no matter what! Enjoy!

Lyuba’s Tips For Soft Eggnog Cookies

• Room Temperature Ingredients Matter: Soft butter and room-temperature egg yolks blend more evenly, creating a smoother dough. Remember to take butter and eggs out of the refrigerator and leave it on the counter to get to room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
• Measure flour right! Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup into the bag! Then, cut the excess at the top with the back of the knife to level. When you dunk the cup, you really pack the flour into the cup, which leads to dense cookies.
• Check your baking powder. Make sure that it is not expired! In order for your baking powder to be potent and work properly, you need to use it within 6 months of opening the container.
• Don’t Overbake: overbaking will dry them out.
• Never ice hot or warm cookies! Make sure to let the cookies cool to room temperature before adding eggnog icing or it will melt.

Storing Instructions

• You can store these cookies at room temperature WITHOUT the icing or in the refrigerator.
• At room temperature, store them in an air-tight container for about 2 days. (WITHOUT icing)
• If you need to store them longer or with icing, place them in the refrigerator. Make sure to keep them in an air-tight container. They should be good for up to 4 days, after that they will be getting stale.

More Eggnog Recipes To Try

• Eggnog Pancakes
• Eggnog Cheesecake
• Eggnog French Toast
• Eggnog Poke Cake
• Vanilla Bean Eggnog Bread
• Eggnog Cookie Balls

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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in November 2020.